Naruto: Bloodlines
by Maileesaeya
Summary: Naruto is taken out of Konoha by Itachi at the age of ten for tutoring, returning two years later to fulfill his dream. Smart, strong Naruto, hopefully not too OP. Eventual NaruSakuIno, other ships to be revealed. I expressly avoid bashing ANY characters, and if it seems like I am doing so, there is either a reason for it or it is an accident. NO SASUKE-BASHING HERE.
1. Prologue

**Heavy edits; I'm still not sure where, exactly, the concept for this story came from, but it's definitely shaped up better than I had hoped.**

**I have edited this prologue chapter now, cutting down a bit on certain aspects and expanding what was done here as a whole.**

**There may be a variety of OCs in this story to fill in the roles of minor extras, but current plans have only one major OC and a few deceased ones connected to the current OC.**

**The OC is Kazekaika Mai, a character roughly inspired by Itachi. Originally _much_ more powerful, I've pretty much finished my retconning of her to be around Itachi's level of power, and her role is more or less similar to Itachi. Please note that this is "pre-DBZ phase" level Itachi, rather than the increasingly overpowered one of canon; so, more like Itachi as portrayed in Part I.**

**Main pairing is Naruto x Sakura. I originally planned to make it NaruSakuIno (eventually), but might not at this point; NaruSakuHina also appeals to me, and I'm considering just going for a relatively small harem (four girls total; the three rookies and then one more who will not be named), but currently uncertain what I'll be doing, other than the fact that this is _definitely_ NaruSaku.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I claim this story itself and the OC Kazekaika Mai and that's all as of right now.**

* * *

Naruto groaned.

It was his third term in the academy. THIRD TERM! He'd failed the graduation exam twice already… damn the **Bunshin no Jutsu**, he just couldn't get it to work!

And to top it off, this term he was in class with the two girls he'd had crushes on since he was five, and had fallen in love with when he was nine. And they were both crushing on that arrogant, brooding Uchiha bastard, Sasuke!

Now, Naruto was making his way home, annoyed by the condition his life was falling into. He just couldn't get the help he needed! He didn't want to bother Iruka-sensei too much, what with all the other students in the class, and the Hokage was too busy to help him, leaving Naruto with subpar Taijutsu, no Genjutsu to speak of, and horrible Ninjutsu.

Damn it, why did everybody hate him?

Shaking his head slightly in despair, Naruto opened the door of his shabby apartment and froze.

There, in his home, were two figures he didn't recognize.

They were the same height, both seemed to be looking at him, but it was hard to tell. They were wearing high collared black cloaks with red clouds on them, and straw hats that further concealed their faces. Prominently displayed were two rings, one marked 'shu' worn by the figure on the left, on his right ring finger, the other marked 'nan' worn by the figure on the right, on her (or at least, Naruto assumed it was female judging by the delicate hand) left ring finger.

"This is him, Mai?" said the male.

"Yes," replied the female, her voice confirming Naruto's suspicion.

"He's grown."

"He's still young and it's been two years. Of course he's grown."

"Uzumaki Naruto," he said calmly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Uchiha Itachi, and my companion is Kazekaika Mai. We are here to take you away from this village for a time… and when you come back, it will be with the knowledge and power to gain all that you desire."

"Hey, Itachi, do you really have to make this sound like a deal with the devil? Because seriously, unless you made some kind of deal with that masked asshole behind my back, this _really_ shouldn't sound like a deal with the devil…"

"Shut up," growled Itachi. Naruto continued to stare, too shocked and confused to move, or even to put two-and-two together and recognize Itachi's clan name.

Itachi refocused on Naruto.

"Perhaps I should rephrase," he said. "You have two choices. You can remain here, trapped in your current place without aid and we will walk away. Or, you can come with us for a time, and we will show you what it means to be Hokage."

"Though there are times I wonder… being Hokage to be acknowledged is a bit too selfish to really be worthy of being Hokage, don't you think?"

"Mai, this was your idea, but now it's time to shut up and let me handle things."

Naruto finally moved.

"Is she… always like this?" he asked, pointing at Mai. Itachi sighed.

"Usually…"

"Okay…" Naruto nodded. He thought back over everything that had happened in his life… and came to a decision. "I'll go with you."

* * *

"Hokage-sama! Uzumaki Naruto has disappeared!"

"WHAT?" shouted Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. "When? How?"

"We don't know sir!"

* * *

Beneath her straw hat, the sole female of the trio walking down the path away from Konoha smiled slightly, having just received the memories of one of the shadow clones she'd left behind to observe the village.

"Heh… it seems like we've caused quite a stir," she commented cheerfully. "But maybe Hokage-sama would've liked to know… should we have told Hokage-sama? I think we should've told Hokage-sama… do you think we should have told Hokage-sama?"

Itachi pointedly ignored her, causing Mai to pout.

"Mō, you're no fun at all…" she said. "I know life hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but I still want my cheerful teammate back! Stop brooding! What would Shisui-niisama think of this?"

Naruto stared at her in confusion as he followed them. Itachi was so used to this that he simply continued to ignore her.

So go figure this would be one of those occasions where she had a short fuse.

Mai struck faster than Naruto could blink and Itachi could act. She knocked away his straw hat and stared straight into his blood red Sharingan eyes with her own, even as the mitsu tomoe of her Sharingan twisted and fused into an interwoven star.

"**Tsukuyomi**," she intoned before he could react.

Itachi now found himself strapped to a cross, his eyes widening in horror, the world around him red with a blood moon in the sky, himself and his companion in bizarre negative colors.

"Now, Itachi," said Mai. "The torture begins. For the next seventy-two hours…" he suddenly realized that there were a lot more of him around, and a whole lot more of her. And every one of _her_ held a stick with a… feather, attached to the end. Up on a hill, boxes of pocky were stacked, with additional copies of his companion going through the seals for a Katon jutsu at a painfully slow pace. "You will be forced to watch your precious pocky burn, while being constantly tickled with all of these feathers!" There was a truly frightening sadistic gleam in her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, all the pocky was consumed by the flames and the torture momentarily stopped as everything was reset.

"Seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds left," came the taunting voice.

* * *

"Well, that was fun," she said as her companion collapsed to the ground, shaking his head to try and clear it of the insane images she'd shown to him. She smiled. "Now then, Uchiha Itachi, are you ready to lighten up?"

Standing up, Itachi retrieved his straw hat and put it back on.

"Where are the therapists?" he muttered. Mai giggled.

"Didn't you hear? They're looking for more therapists!"

"I made a mistake… didn't I?" said Naruto, looking to Itachi.

"Everyday, I think that of allowing her to follow me," said Itachi dryly. "And yet, I am constantly reminded that it would've been more foolish to try and stop her."

"You're damn right it would've been foolish to try and stop me! All the legions of hell couldn't do more than inconvenience me! I am a goddess given flesh and nothing can stop me!"

"She'll get better," said Itachi reassuringly. "Incurably insane or not, she can at least _feign_ sanity well enough for others."

Naruto wasn't so sure of that…

* * *

It had been a month since they'd left Konoha; about two weeks in, Mai had started to act more seriously, and Naruto finally felt like he'd get out of this with his sanity intact. Now, they were ready to begin Naruto's training.

"Alright, Naruto-kun," said Mai. It was amazing how much more mature she sounded now. "We're not going to teach you much that you wouldn't learn in the academy… just some clone techniques, since those are your weakness. Don't worry, these will be easier to use than the standard **Bunshin no Jutsu**." Naruto nodded attentively, while Mai walked over to a nearby pond.

"First, let me introduce you to the most important of all **Bunshin **jutsus," said Mai. "Now, I can actually perform any clone technique without handseals, and when we're finished with you, every jutsu you know will be possible without handseals. But first…" Mai formed a cross with her hands. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**," intoned Mai. Another Mai suddenly appeared, without even a puff of smoke, an indication of absolute chakra control. "The shadow clone technique uses more chakra than the standard clone technique. However, the clones are solid, making it much more useful than the standard technique. Not only that, but anything your clones learn is sent back to you when they're dispelled, meaning that with one clone, you could get two days of experience in one… or with a thousand clones, you could get twenty years of experience in a week."

Naruto's response was to sputter in shock.

"Yes, you can see how this would speed your training, don't you?" she said. "Anyways, next is the **Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**," a water clone of Mai formed from the pond. "The **Doton Kage Bunshin**," this time, a clone formed from mud. "And my personal favorite, the **F****ū**ton Kage Bunshin," this time, wind seemed to gather before another clone of Mai formed, indistinguishable from the rest. Two of the clones walked away, and then one clone stabbed another.

The stabbed clone suddenly exploded into wind, apparently cutting wind, as the other clone was cut apart, falling into mud. Mai pulled a ninjato out from seemingly nowhere and cut down another clone, revealing it to be the water clone. The shadow clone walked away from Naruto, Mai, and Itachi.

"And this, Naruto-kun," said Itachi. "Is a technique I created and taught to Mai… **Bunshin Daibakuha**." No sooner had the words left Itachi's lips than the clone exploded like a bomb. Naruto's eyes widened and Mai smiled.

"These are the techniques we will be teaching you," she said.

"It will not be all about learning to fight," said Itachi. "You will be studying history and academia. You will be practicing chakra control exercises that will allow you to walk up walls, stick to ceilings, and treat water like solid ground."

"There _will_ be some fun and games though," said Mai. "Those have a purpose too. We will be promoting agility, stealth, dexterity and intelligence. You'll have to deal with puzzles to challenge and sharpen the mind. You have a lot to live up to if you wish to be Hokage… and it won't be easy, even if you can cheat your way up. But in the end, it will be worth it."

Itachi smiled at Naruto. "Are you ready, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes," said Naruto. "Come on, let's get started!"

* * *

It had been close to two years since Uzumaki Naruto disappeared, and a few people were still reeling from the effects of it. Moods had ranged from desperate to terrified to hopeful or overjoyed. The longer he was gone, the more people shifted towards apathy; other than a distinct lack of annoying, over the top pranks performed by a loud-mouthed orange-wearing blond lunatic, things weren't that different.

For some, though, the concern never went away. They continued to wonder at what had become of Naruto; had he been killed? Had he run away to an enemy village? To live as a civilian, after failing to graduate from the academy so many times?

And a few beat themselves up over it, angry with themselves for allowing all that had happened to Naruto.

This was the village approached by a young boy via the main road into Konoha. It wasn't all that different from how he remembered it, and he wondered how people would react to his return.

The boy's face, clothes, and hair were completely concealed by the long-necked black cloak and straw hat he wore. The cloak itself was decorated with golden nine-tailed foxes, some portrayed as sleeping, some running, some jumping, some sitting stoically, like a guardian, and some of the more 'chibi' ones frolicking about, as though they were fox kits playing together. Perhaps the most important, though, was the large decal on the back of the cloak, which showed a golden fox resting between two other nine-tailed foxes, one a stand-out pink color, the other a bright, platinum color, all of their tails twined together to create the appearance of nine large tales of gold, platinum, and pink.

The boy stepped up to the guard post outside the gate, where a chūnin looked him over.

"And you are?" he asked gruffly. The boy tilted his straw hat up a bit to reveal some of the details of his face—his sapphire-cerulean blue eyes, whisker-marked cheeks, and spiky golden hair. The guard's eyes widened.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he said warmly.

"Wha… but… when… how… huh?"

Naruto didn't even blink.

"Um… welcome home," said the chūnin after taking a moment to recompose himself. "Have to say, never expected to see you again… kind of nice though… things have been quiet without you around. Um…"

"Is it really that awkward?"

"Kinda… nice getup, by the way. Anyways, um… you should probably go see Hokage-sama. He's been really worried about you."

"Yeah… I planned too. Thanks. I've been worried about how people would react, so best to see him immediately."

"Probably… you disappear for two years, then show up like this…" The chūnin shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"Believe it," said Naruto. "Because it just happened."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone liked that. Originally, the villagers got depressed, but I re-edited that to a much more neutral and believable reaction.**

**I've made Naruto more powerful, but I'm trying to avoid making him severely overpowered; for this stage of the series, he's far more powerful than the other younger characters, but not much beyond the stronger genin that we're shown. He has chakra control, clone techniques, basic academy techniques, brains and a more mature attitude (this facet is explored in later chapters).**

**Hope you all enjoy, and for newcomers, that you give this story a chance!**


	2. The Return

**This is just a side project, so don't expect such quick updates in the future. This will probably be updated very slowly...**

**Edit: This chapter has now been edited to account for retcons to the power levels of a few characters, prominently Naruto.**

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, engulfed in the early morning mist, his goal the Hokage tower.

He'd kept his hat on, intent on hiding his identity for the moment. He wasn't certain how people would react to the return of the 'demon', as he vaguely recalled some had taken to calling him. He was mostly afraid that they would try to run him back out of Konoha, meaning seeing Sarutobi was his highest priority. The man was one of the few who acknowledged him, and the only one who could guarantee he wouldn't be forced to flee the village.

Two years under the tutelage of Itachi and Mai had taught him a great deal. Thanks to **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, he was pretty much unparalleled in the fields he'd studied, right up to having eighty years of academics stuffed into his head (the most boring part of the whole thing by far in his opinion). By the end of his first year, he was able to maintain several hundred clones for an extended period, so he had—easily—over a century worth of total studies and training under his belt.

This was not to say it hadn't repeatedly given him the mother of all headaches, but still, it was well worth it.

Combined with his near-absolute chakra control and the strategic mind he'd been taught to properly cultivate, he could prove a dangerous foe even for advanced ninja. He'd been taught both Mai and Itachi's preferred Taijutsu styles. Mai's was a variant of the Jūken, the Mīraken, which targeted an opponents nerve clusters and pressure points, while Itachi's, Hogosha Shisei, was a sit, wait, block, deflect, and counter style, more pacifistic and defensive than Mai's Mīraken.

Mai had also instructed him in the arts of controlling his chakra externally, unleashing enormous levels of highly focused chakra at once, and containing large amounts of chakra in a confined space. When he asked what it was all for, she'd merely told him it would be useful to him someday, a fact she knew thanks to a unique ninjutsu of hers, known as **Toyotama**; when he'd asked about _that_, she'd refused to give him any details.

Naruto was also fast. Without his weights, he could bring himself up to chūnin level speeds in short bursts; with the weights, he could still get to the high end of the genin spectrum in short bursts. His perfection of the taijutsu styles he'd been taught meant that, in a pure taijutsu spar without his weights, Naruto could beat Itachi every one in five or so spars; however, that was actually just holding off Itachi enough to wear his 'big brother' out, as Itachi had a rather fragile body. Lack of that was one of Mai's key strengths over Itachi, though her far more questionable sanity likely mitigated that advantage.

Naruto shook his head. That wasn't his concern at the moment. Looking up, he realized that he was in front of the Hokage tower, and proceeded to enter the building. He walked up several flights of stairs before arriving before the Hokage's secretary. She looked across her desk at him inquisitively.

"Excuse me, but may I see the Hokage?" he said politely. "I know I don't have an appointment but… well, it's been a while, and I'm sure he'd be happy to see me."

The secretary, Kireki, was silent for a moment. That voice was familiar… then her eyes widened as she recognized it. She squinted slightly, trying to see his face… there! The familiar whisker marks that she hadn't seen in two years! Kireki smiled.

"Of course, Naruto-kun," she said. Naruto was surprised she recognized him, but didn't mind. Kireki had always been kind to him. He pushed his hat up a bit and lifted his head to give her a warm smile of gratitude.

"Arigatō," he said, stepping past her and to the door of the Hokage's office. He lifted a hand and knocked gently.

* * *

The Hokage sighed. He was losing. Again. He just never could quite seem to beat the monstrous foe that was paperwork. The bane of the kage—no, of ALL VILLAGE LEADERS! What kind of cold, cruel, evil-hearted person devised this monstrosity?

Sarutobi was just beginning to entertain a fantasy that involved all the paperwork in Hi no Kuni and a very BIG Katon jutsu when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he said, glad for a distraction from the paperwork. The door opened and in stepped a cloaked figure. Sarutobi studied the figure closely.

He was male, that much was obvious to Sarutobi. He was about five foot three inches tall, but that was all he could really determine, due to the straw hat. The cloak, however, was of particular interest to him. He knew of no one who wore a cloak decorated with golden kyūbi no kitsune. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

"And who might you be, young man?" he asked. Sarutobi couldn't be certain, but he thought he could actually _feel_ a smirk forming on the boy's lips.

"I'm gone for two years and you forget all about me?" he asked, reaching up and removing his straw hat to reveal a whiskered face with deep blue eyes and spiky, golden blonde hair. "I'm hurt, ojii-san."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "N-Naruto?" he asked, standing up. He then lunged forward and wrapped the blond in a tight hug. "Where have you been these last two years?"

Naruto smiled as he returned the hug of his grandfather figure. After the two broke apart, Sarutobi returned to his desk and Naruto stood in front of it, smiling.

"I was taken out of the village for training," he said. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow while Naruto pulled one hand out of the sleeve and into his cloak, where he grabbed a storage scroll before putting the arm back into his sleeve. He held the scroll out. "Mai-nēchan told me to give this to you." Sarutobi's eyes widened.

"Mai?" he said. "Do you mean _Kazekaika_ Mai?" he asked. Naruto looked confused and nodded. Uncertainly, Sarutobi reached out the scroll and unrolled it. He pushed chakra into it, activating it and releasing the contents.

Out popped two scrolls, a small one the size of the storage scroll, and a large one Sarutobi recognized…

The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing that had been stolen four years ago, during the chaos of the Uchiha massacre.

Setting the Forbidden Scroll aside in shock, Sarutobi looked at the smaller scroll before looking up at Naruto.

"Naruto…" he said slowly. "Was there anyone there—_anyone_—besides you and Mai?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah…" he said. "Itachi-niisan… he's Sasuke's older brother." Sarutobi's body momentarily locked up before he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Alright Naruto…" he said. "Before we discuss what you learned… I should tell you something about Itachi and Mai."

Sarutobi then launched into an explanation of how Naruto's senseis were S-rank nukenin of Konoha, and were presently considered the two most dangerous shinobi in the Bingo Book. Hell, the bounty on Mai's head was close to five hundred million ryo, and flee on sight orders had been placed by all the hidden villages regarding the two—a feat only ever matched by the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Namikaze Minato. He proceeded to explain that Itachi wasn't _exactly_ a criminal, but for the sake of protecting the village, he'd willingly allowed himself to be labeled as one. Mai, on the other hand, was a criminal, but also an unknown element. Her known crime was the theft of the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, the same one that Naruto had just returned for her. More questionable was her exact involvement in the Uchiha Massacre.

While relieved to know that his metaphorical brother and sister weren't the bad people most apparently believed they were, he was uncertain how to take the knowledge of their involvement in the Uchiha Massacre, and was told by Sarutobi to mention none of this to anyone, not even the identity of his teachers. He understood, and promised to keep it a secret, something he'd intended to do anyways at Itachi's request.

"So, Naruto…" continued Sarutobi. "Now that that is out of the way… care to tell me what you learned? No doubt something for you to use to turn this village upside down?" Naruto grinned ruefully.

"No, actually," said Naruto. "They didn't teach me many jutsu… but they did tell me about the Kyūbi." Sarutobi's eyes widened and Naruto raised a hand, forestalling any questions. "They explained it all to me so that I'd understand, and taught me how to pull out the fox's chakra. I can control it up to about three tails worth of chakra, but while it makes me stronger, I start running more on instinct than anything else. I tried pulling out the fourth tail—once. At that point, I'm running completely on animalistic and demonic instinct, and neither me nor Kyūbi is in control. I try not to use the chakra unless absolutely necessary. I save it as my weapon of last resort and trump card. Usually, I only need a bit of chakra, not even a single tail, and it enhances my speed, strength, and senses to the extremes."

"I've also trained my senses considerably," continued Naruto. "But more to the point, I've learned a few Ninjutsu—clone techniques to be specific. I can use all three academy jutsu without seals, and all my clone jutsu can be done without seals as well. I know** Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**, **Doton Kage Bunshin**, **F****ū**ton Kage Bunshin, **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, and **Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." Sarutobi stared, wide-eyed. "I was also taught **Bunshin Daibakuha**, which is used in conjunction with **Kage Bunshin** to make the clones explode with the force of a dozen or so explosive tags. Mai-nēchan had me sign a summoning contract, but no, I'm not gonna tell you what it was—that's a surprise for later. I've also studied academics, politics, tactics, strategy, and history, and I've trained my chakra control to an extreme level. I have chakra reserves surpassing Kage level, and can maintain up to a thousand shadow clones for several hours. I've also been taught both Mai-nēchan and Itachi-niisan's preferred taijutsu styles."

Sarutobi was staring, wide-eyed, mouth gaping, hardly believing what he was hearing. Two years, and _this_ is what Itachi and Mai had done to him? Even with his limited repertoire of techniques, if what he said was true, he could give chūnin's a run for their money without the Kyūbi, and possibly even some jōnin. Add in the Kyūbi, and he could push people like Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai.

Sarutobi closed his mouth and studied Naruto.

"Be that as it may…" he said slowly. "I think it would be best for you to return to the Academy—graduation exams are tomorrow. You should take some time to get used to being here. If you don't want to, then I'll see what I can do."

"That's fine," said Naruto. "I was kind of hoping for that anyway. Mai-nēchan and Itachi-niisan suggested I use that to get experience and make friends, then climb my way up the ranks."

"Yes, that seems like something they'd say," said Sarutobi. "Itachi simply because it's the wise decision. And Mai because she's an absolute lunatic." He smiled. "I'll contact Iruka and inform him that you'll be returning to the Academy, in the same class you'd been attending when you left. You'll have to tell me all about your adventures at some point, but for now, you should probably get home, and yes, that apartment is still all yours, though probably more than a little dusty at this point."

Naruto nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Naruto? Welcome home. You've been missed, more than you could ever know."

Naruto seemed to freeze momentarily, then let out a foxy grin. "That's good to hear, ojii-san," he said. "Oh, and something else? There's an easy solution to the paperwork problem…" Sarutobi looked at Naruto, eagerness evident on his face. His eyes were pleading for the information. Naruto's grin widened. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." With that, Naruto left.

Sarutobi didn't move. He was frozen. No… it couldn't be that simple…

But it was.

* * *

_THUNK!_

Naruto laughed as he heard the Hokage slam his head down on his own desk, and faintly heard his 'ojii-san' muttering 'stupid' to himself repeatedly. Naruto replaced his straw hat and left the Hokage tower, for once feeling content with where his life was going.

And, more importantly, feeling that his life was actually going somewhere.

* * *

"Settle down everyone!" shouted Iruka using the 'big scary head jutsu' (how he does that is still beyond the students, and even the Hokage hasn't figured it out). The class instantly settled down, much to the relief of Iruka and Mizuki.

"Now that everyone has calmed down," said Iruka. "I'd like to first introduce you all to a fellow student who will be taking the graduation exam with you today. He's been absent most of this term since it seems a traveling shinobi decided to help tutor him to overcome difficulties he was having." A whisper ran through class, and Mizuki's jaw clenched imperceptibly. "Come on in."

The door of the classroom opened and everyone looked at the door eagerly, except for Uchiha Sasuke, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru, the first not caring, the second curious, but impassive, and the third simply looking over lazily, though all three already had a guess as to who it was.

Through the door stepped a figure wearing a high-necked black cloak with golden nine-tailed fox decals on it, and a straw hat hiding his face. Everyone was now even more curious.

"Well, the Hokage said you'd changed your look, but damn…" muttered Iruka. The figure reached up and tilted the straw hat up, revealing deep blue eyes set in a handsome face with three whisker-like scars on each cheek. Almost all the girls developed immediate hearts in their eyes. The boy finally removed his straw hat to reveal spiky golden hair that drew a gasp from almost everyone present, as the full view now available showed everyone just who it was. He gave them a foxy grin that had more than half the girls blushing.

"Uzumaki Naruto returns…" he said. "Anyone miss me?"

The class stared, most of them in simple blank shock. Despite the blushes, most of the girls were berating themselves for thinking Naruto was handsome. Hyūga Hinata, on the other hand, had turned completely red.

"Naruto! Where have you been, man?" shouted Inuzuka Kiba. Similar shouts came from other students for a minute.

"SHUT UP!" shouted Iruka, once more using the 'big scary head jutsu'. The class quieted down. "Alright, Naruto, why don't you take a seat next to Sasuke? If the girls are gonna be ogling the boys, it might as well be in the same direction." Every girl in class blushed at this statement while Naruto merely nodded and walked over to take the seat next to Sasuke. Just before Naruto put his straw hat back on, the girls got a good look at Naruto compared to Sasuke… and even the Uchiha's most loyal fangirls felt their was no comparison, mostly because of the light and warmth in Naruto's eyes, in comparison to the cold eyes of the Uchiha (who, as he saw most of the girls ogling Naruto instead of him, started mentally dancing for joy).

"Alright class, come with me," called Iruka before leading the students outside to the target practice field. "As some of you may already know, the Genin exam consists of a written test, tests for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, a stealth test, and a target practice test. You must pass the written test, ninjutsu test, and at least two other tests to become Genin. We start with target practice. Aburame Shino."

Most of the participants got an average score at about ten out of twenty hits. Uchiha Sasuke got seventeen out of twenty.

"Uzumaki Naruto," called Iruka. Naruto stepped forward, his hands invisible within his sleeves. Most of the class was eagerly looking forward to finding out what Naruto could do.

In the blink of an, Naruto's hands appeared, clutching shuriken, and the shuriken were immediately thrown, all at once, each one landing a bull's-eye on the head, torso, points where tendon cuts would be quite lethal, and one that had every male wincing slightly.

The crotch.

"Nothing is below the belt in the shinobi world," said Naruto, quoting Mai (Itachi had unconsciously covered his groin when Mai imparted this 'wisdom' to Naruto). "We're ninjas, not samurai." Iruka nodded in agreement, and marked Naruto twenty out of twenty.

Next was the genjutsu exam. This one could be voluntarily skipped, but that would result in a zero. The goal was first to dispel an opposing low-level genjutsu, and then place the teacher in a genjutsu. Each was worth up to fifty points, with more points received for dispelling quicker and making your own genjutsu last longer.

Haruno Sakura performed the best, better than even Uchiha Sasuke. Then, it was once again Naruto's turn.

Naruto immediately dispelled the genjutsu he was placed in, then turned his own genjutsu on Iruka. Unfortunately for the academy instructor, he didn't realize his genjutsu was broken and that he'd fallen into one for over thirty seconds; he quickly dispelled the genjutsu when he caught on and smiled as he shook his head.

Naruto was, once again, given a perfect score.

The next test—stealth—was considered the most difficult, with the highest performers being Naruto—with a third perfect—Aburame Shino, and Uchiha Sasuke.

Then came taijutsu, one of the three Naruto was actually looking forward too.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto!" called Iruka. The two proceed into the ring, a few girls cheering on Sasuke while the rest remained conflicted. "Hajime!"

Sasuke immediately charged forward, intent on ending the bout quickly. Naruto didn't budge an inch at first… and then, his fingers snapped out, grabbing Sasuke's wrist as he lashed out with a punch.

"Only a fool charges in blindly, Sasuke-san," said Naruto. He then pulled Sasuke in closer, throwing his free arm up in a horizontal block of Sasuke's body, and then pushed out with all his strength, sending Sasuke flying backwards. Sasuke stood up, glaring at Naruto, and then charged again.

Rather than employ Itachi's style again, Naruto decided to act out, and dodged Sasuke's punch before slamming his fingers into Sasuke's neck, numbing his body from the neck down.

The Uchiha collapsed as Naruto jumped back.

"This taijutsu style is a variant of the Jūken which attacks pressure points and nerve clusters to cause intense pain and numbness rather than actual damage," said Naruto. "Once that's done, you can take the enemy at your leisure."

Iruka nodded, impressed. Sasuke, though angry with the humiliation, was also impressed by the effectiveness of the style.

He'd have to ask Naruto about it later.

* * *

Next came the written test, which was laughably easy for Naruto with his years worth of academics. Another perfect.

The ninjutsu test was even more laughably easy—particularly as a good three months of training had been dedicated to chakra control, which was equivalent to several decades under the effects of shadow clone training. Naruto's control was good enough and he had used clone ninjutsu so many times that he could subconsciously mold the chakra necessary for any one of them. The same was true for the other two basic academy ninjutsu.

This, of course, meant that he was damn near impossible to hit, since he could use **Kawarimi no Jutsu** on instinct to dodge almost any attack.

Sufficed to say that Naruto got the best score possible; of course, he'd technically cheated, since he was severely overqualified for these tests.

* * *

"Well, well, what do we have here?" came a cold, calm voice. Mizuki trembled, clutching the Forbidden Scroll more tightly to his chest, looking around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"You know, I just had my otōto return that scroll, I'd hate to see it taken away so soon," continued the voice. "Especially by a pathetic traitor serving an equally pathetic snake." A figure appeared before Mizuki. One he recognized.

"No way…" whispered Mizuki fearfully. "Y-you…"

"Farewell, Mizuki," said Mai as her eyes turned blood red with black, ten-point double pentagrams. In the center of the pentagram was a small, slit pupil. "**Izanami**."

* * *

**What does Izanami do? I'm not telling...**

**Other things to note is that yes, he was taught Rasengan without realizing it, and the Kawarimi no Jutsu is just ridiculously overpowered.**

**Also, within the edits, I downgraded Naruto's apparent power and redid some of the stuff from his discussion with the Hokage, and brought up his summoning contract (briefly).**


	3. The New Team

**Well... it's been a long time since I worked on this (a year. I didn't realize that it has been that long, and for that, I apologize). I've actually worked off and on for awhile now, but only recently really got going, mostly because I was preoccupied with finishing up _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Dauntless_. I've also been stalled because of all the revelations and changes recently introduced within the Naruto universe, which has made me reluctant to continue some works here and there. Overall, I've got a good enough grasp on the background that I believe anything happening in the future will be safe to leave or account for as I feel best benefits this story.**

**Now then, all of that being said, I've seen updates to all of my Naruto stories (still up) at this point. The update to _Naruto: Tsurugi Shinsei_ was particularly amusing; usually, an updated story will get around 5 to 15 reviews over the course of the following 24 hours, and will receive frequent favorites and subscriptions for about 72 hours, then drop back a bit. However, _Tsurugi Shinsei_ received a bunch of favorites and subscriptions... but thus far, has only garnered four extra reviews. It's strangely amusing, and most likely my fault.**

**Now, I don't blame people for being angry with me over the lack of updates on this story. I'll try to be better about it, especially now that I feel comfortable really working on my Naruto fanfics again. Again, I apologize for how long this has been left sitting. However, I'm also glad I did post it, even if it's taken me this long to return to it. If I hadn't, I probably would've left it completely for dead, and forgotten everything about it.**

**Edit: I changed some parts of the chapter; Itachi and Mai's appearances are changed around, as are a few scenes with Kakashi, nothing too major.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters. I own the backplot of this story and the OC Kazekaika Mai, along with her original jutsu.**

* * *

"What the hell do you think happened to him?" asked the ANBU as he knelt down by the immobile form of Mizuki.

"I don't know," said Uzuki Yugao, shaking her head.

Whoever had stopped Mizuki's attempt to steal the Forbidden Scroll last night had done a serious number on him, as the man could no longer move or make sounds. He was obviously alive, but he might as well be dead. His body was rotting from the inside out, and no one could figure out how such a thing was possible. The only thing that was apparent was that it was painful.

"We'll take him back to Ibiki," said Yugao. "Though, to be honest, I don't think there's anything he can do."

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that," said Itachi. "**Izanami **is as dangerous to you as it is to the people you use it on."

"I'm touched by your concern, but you ignore me about your eyes all the time," said Mai. "Anyways, it's the one method we have that is completely untraceable. Even Madara isn't aware of the exact effects; but everyone in Akatsuki knows about my Reiton, and we can't let anyone know what we've done with Naruto."

The two fell silent after that, their thoughts drifting to Madara.

The man was responsible for destroying Itachi's life; he was the man ultimately responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha Clan. The necessity of that slaughter came back to him. For Naruto, the boy the two had come to see as their younger brother, his family was destroyed by the actions of that masked madman.

What had torn Mai's life apart was much more multi-faceted; her father was killed in the Kyūbi attack, and her mother was later murdered in front of her and her twin sister. As for Miyu, Mai fully blamed herself for that one. Madara's role in destroying Mai's life was focused around her father's death and the Uchiha Massacre. Aware of what was to come, Mai had chosen to follow Itachi regardless; though she would never admit it, he was the most important person she had left in the world.

The two continued to walk along the path in silence. Their destination was an almost literal hole of criminals, packed with A-class nukenin and even a few S-class. Their current mission for Akatsuki was simply to gather money. The hunt for the Bijū and Jinchūriki—including Naruto—would be on hold for at least a few more months, probably at least another year. And the criminal pit they were headed to had plenty of good bounties to offer, and it was honest work, too.

"We're here," said Itachi a short while later as they stepped off the path and through a minor genjutsu guarding the entrance down into the hideout.

"Itachi, let me handle this," said Mai, stepping forward. "You don't particularly enjoy this, and it'll be nice to let loose a little."

"Mai…"

"There's nothing to worry about," interrupted Mai, staring at Itachi with her Mangekyō Sharingan. "Twenty thousand says these idiots can't even make me remove my hat."

"I am not taking that bet."

"Then we're in agreement," said Mai, smiling murderously as she pushed open the door.

* * *

Letting out a small sigh, Naruto set his hat on the ground, removed his cloak to reveal a skintight black shirt beneath, and set the cloak on the ground as well. With that, the blond created several dozen clones as he charged straight onto the water, then up the waterfall itself. Spinning around, Naruto raised his hands, and began a vicious spar with the shadow clones. He was so focused on his training that he didn't even notice the eyes watching him from various locations around the training ground.

"Are… are those clones _solid_?" questioned Ino.

"Y-yes," stuttered Hinata. "I heard about a jōnin technique that produces solid clones…"

"Amazing…" whispered Sakura as Naruto continued to spar with his clones. "Wasn't he a deadlast just two years ago? I heard he failed the genin exams twice. And now look at him."

"Yeah…" said Ino, sounding almost dreamy.

Elsewhere, the year's jōnin instructors were also watching the blond train.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**…" muttered Yūhi Kurenai. "That kid can use a jōnin level technique?"

"According to Hokage-sama's report, that's only the tip of the iceberg," said Hatake Kakashi. "Apparently, whoever took him from the village two years ago focused on teaching him the basics and learning to use his head. Outside of the basics, though, he does know quite a few clone techniques."

"He is pretty impressive," said Sarutobi Asuma. "Look at the way he fights. Isn't that the Hyūga Jūken style?"

"Similar, but not quite," said Kakashi. "It's probably derived from the Jūken. Hmm…"

That style of combat was familiar to Kakashi. He knew there was someone outside of the Hyūga clan that used a Jūken-based taijutsu style, but he couldn't remember who it was.

Still elsewhere, a lone 'genin' observed Naruto's training.

"Interesting… Orochimaru-sama will want to hear about this."

* * *

Itachi was a man with a strong stomach. At the age of four, he witnessed the loss of countless lives in the Third Great Shinobi War. At the age of seven, he graduated the Konoha Ninja Academy at the top of his class. At the age of eight, he mastered his Sharingan. At the age of ten, he became a Chūnin. At the age of thirteen, he became an ANBU Captain… then slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan almost single-handed in one night.

But even Itachi nearly hurled at the sight of the massacre his partner had unleashed.

"It could be difficulty to obtain the bounties with them in this condition," commented Itachi dryly, not bothering to conceal his discomfort. Mai, sitting in the midst of the slaughter, shrugged.

"They're condition isn't _that_ bad," she said. "Besides, I really needed to cut loose… you know how I get after using **Izanami**."

"And that is exactly why I felt you shouldn't have used it," said Itachi. "Mai… it took the power of Shisui's **Koto Amatsukami** _and_ Miyu's **Takamagahara** to help you recover when you went too far. Even with what's protecting you now, the things you see are not meant for the eyes of humans."

"I know that," said Mai. "I know, Itachi… but whatever sacrifice I have to make… if it means that we've succeeded in our goal, then it will be worth it."

"I hope you're right."

"So do I."

* * *

After several hours of sparring, Naruto finally wrapped up his training. Before stepping off the water, he cupped a handful in his hands and splashed it over his face, sighing lightly as the water cooled his burning hot forehead and washed the sweat from his face and hair. Stepping onto solid ground, Naruto walked over to retrieve his cloak and hat before leaving the training grounds.

"That kid… Kakashi, could you have done that?" questioned Asuma, whistling lightly. The cycloptean Jōnin shook his head.

"No," he admitted. Naruto had done more than just walk on the waterfall while sparring with shadow clones—he'd created additional shadow clones, and both the real Naruto and the clones were throwing out the occasional jutsu. Most shinobi would've been exhausted within an hour, maybe two if they had particularly large reserves. "In fact, I know of only one ninja who could pull that off, but… well, she died a long time ago." It took a lot of effort on Kakashi's part not to dwell on the fate of Uzumaki Kushina.

As the jōnin left, the three newly graduated genin who'd been watching Naruto started talking amongst themselves.

"Did you see that? Who knew Naruto was this awesome!" said Ino, smiling without restraint.

"He was fighting on a waterfall…" said Sakura. "How did he do that?"

"I-it's a standard chakra control exercise," said Hinata. Both Uchiha fangirls immediately turned their attention to the shy Hyūga heiress, who blushed brightly. "M-my father taught it to me to help with the Jūken."

Sakura and Ino stared at each other. If it was a standard exercise, how come they never learned it before? Sharing a nod, they simultaneously grabbed hold of Hinata, who squealed in surprise.

"Hinata, please teach us how to do that!" they said in unison.

* * *

A week later after the graduation exam, the time for team assignments had arrived. By this point, rumors had spread regarding a certain missing chūnin, and many in the class were talking about it when Iruka walked in. Seeing the gossiping students, he sighed and took a deep breath.

"SHUT UP!" shouted Iruka, instantly quieting down the class. With that done, Iruka cleared his throat. "Now, I'm sure you're all curious about the rumors regarding Mizuki. I can neither confirm nor deny, any of them. That said, I'd like to extend my congratulations to all of you for graduating. As of today, you're all real ninja, but that's only the beginning. Your ninja of the lowest rank, genin, and even among genin, you are only low-level rookies at the moment. Some of you have found the trials of this academy difficult—but once you experience the real world, you'll understand that these are challenges that true ninja could do in their sleep. And one day, as long as you remember the basics learned at this academy and the warning I've given today, you'll also become true shinobi."

As most of the students stared at Iruka with some level of confusion, Naruto suppressed a snort at the truth in his first sensei's words. He knew the first few weeks would be dull D-rank missions—Itachi and Mai had spent months drilling patience into the overly thick skulls of every shadow clone he could produce, but his patience was already wearing thin. Either the two weren't as good at it as everyone thought, or Naruto's skull was thicker than they'd realized (which even Naruto could admit was probably the case, given how much he'd relied on the shadow clone training for academic studies).

"Team seven will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino," said Iruka, snapping Naruto out of his reminiscence as he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to Iruka's announcements, for which he berated himself. Then, Iruka's words sunk in, and the blond hid a slight smile at the knowledge that he was on a team with at least one of his crushes, as well as one of the few people who'd somewhat acknowledged him when he was younger.

Meanwhile, Shino was silent in the face of Iruka's words, while Sakura shifted slightly, evidently uncertain how to react.

"Team eight will be Inuzuka Kiba, Hyūga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino," continued Iruka. There was a groan from Ino over not being on a team with Sasuke. "Team nine will be Akita Kahori, Ishimura Jiro and Hirata Mana. Team ten will be Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Sasuke. You're all free to go now, but be back no later than noon to meet your senseis. That is all. Good luck."

Sounds of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room as the genin stood up and began gravitating towards their teammates before they left. Rather than stand up, Naruto continued to sit, taking slow, deep breaths, relaxing himself after his frustration over not paying attention.

"Naruto?" came a soft voice suddenly. Naruto let out a final deep breath and, smiling, turned to face his pink-haired teammate.

"Yes, Sakura-san?"

"Sakura-_san_?" questioned Sakura curiously. Naruto flashed his old goofy grin at her as he stood up and pushed his straw hat off his head. It was obvious she was recalling the time when he used a different honorific.

"I thought it would be rude to refer to you so childishly," said Naruto, glancing around to see Shino walking towards them.

"Uzumaki-san, Haruno-san," said the Aburame with a slight nod.

"Good morning Shino-san," said Sakura politely, smiling at the bug-user as Naruto returned his nod.

"Shino-san, can I ask a favor of you?" said Naruto. Sakura looked at Naruto curiously, while Shino raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly behind his sunglasses. "I know your reputation, and I remember from two years ago. I don't mean to sound rude, but could you try to be a little… friendly, I guess you could say? I don't want things to be all professional."

Shino nodded in understanding. "I understand, Uzumaki-san," he said. "I'll try."

"You can start by simply calling me Naruto," replied the blond, grinning slightly as the three started to walk out of the classroom. "None of this 'Uzumaki-san' business."

Shino nodded again. "Of course, Naruto-san," he said.

"The same for me, all right?" said Sakura, leaning forward slightly into Shino's sight with a smile.

"Yes, Sakura-san."

"Well, I guess it's something," said Naruto mildly as they stepped outside and sat down in the shade of a tree. Naruto pulled out three bentos, surprising his teammates as he handed one to each of them. Though caught off-guard, they accepted nonetheless.

After a few moments of silence in which Sakura subtly watched Naruto, the rosette decided to speak up.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly. Naruto and Shino paused, turning to look at Sakura, both knowing who she was directing the question to. "Even though so many people hated you, you were like the light of this village. A goofy, happy-go-lucky kid, who was more wonderful than any of us would admit. That's all gone now, but you still seem happier. What could've happened in two years to do that to a person?"

Naruto was silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh.

"People change, Sakura-san," he said. "The truth is, I just acted happy to conceal how I really felt. I was alone, and unhappy. Two years away allowed me to finally go somewhere with my life, rather than being stuck in the rut of pain and depression I'd been stuck in. And now, I think I just might be able to finally find that true happiness that's eluded me for so long."

His teammates were silent, listening intently to what was being said. On this occasion, Naruto didn't hide any of what he was feeling, and the truth of his words was evident in the emotions that filled his voice. Sakura turned slightly to face him, unable to hide her wonder at the changes in the young boy, while Shino managed to remain passive.

Naruto shook his head.

"Well, one really shouldn't live in the past," said Naruto brightly. "To be perfectly honest, that's why I've never been able to stand Sasuke."

"What do you mean?" questioned Sakura, confused.

"Uchiha Sasuke still thinks of the loss of his clan," answered Shino. Naruto nodded.

"That's his real motivation," said the blond as he continued to eat. "He wants to avenge the Uchiha clan. I can't exactly blame him for it, but revenge and hatred just breeds more vengeance and hatred. It's stupid, frankly."

"Well… I guess…" said Sakura uncertainly. She couldn't argue with Naruto's logic, but she'd been chasing Sasuke for so long, it was hard to go against him in any way.

"If I were to wallow in that sort of thing, I'd have reason to destroy this entire village," said Naruto quietly, catching his companions by surprise, neither of them ever realizing how bad things had really been for Naruto. "But… I swore an oath to myself to protect this village. And I'll never go back on my word."

* * *

At the tower of the Hokage, the Sandaime leaned back from observing the genin with his viewing orb, and looked to the Jōnin for their opinion.

"You're right, he is different," said Asuma, the Sandaime's son. They'd only observed Naruto's training, and hadn't observed much of his personality—yet. "You said that he got a perfect score on _every _test without any apparent effort?" Not that any of them were surprised after seeing him train.

"That is what Iruka's report said," agreed Hiruzen. "Given what little he told me when he returned, I can't say I'm surprised."

"How will the villagers react to this though?" questioned Kurenai. "I know that everyone has displayed different attitudes, but are we sure no one's going to give us trouble?"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," said Hiruzen, turning his attention to Konoha's top jōnin. "Kakashi?"

"He's intriguing, if nothing else," said Kakashi, stepping forward and eyeing the image in the crystal ball more closely as Naruto started ate lunch and talked with his teammates. "And you said he's now aware of the Kyūbi?" Hiruzen nodded.

"That's correct," he said. "I've spoken with the Council. It seems they were hoping you'd take charge of Uchiha Sasuke. However… I've decided it would be best for you to choose which you wish to teach: the Seventh Graduate Squad or the Tenth. It's your decision, Kakashi."

Kakashi was silent in response to that. A part of him really wanted to train Sasuke—after all, he owed a great deal to Obito, a deceased relative of Sasuke and Kakashi's closest friend in his youth despite the frequent conflict between them. But ultimately… Kakashi felt he owed Naruto and the boy's father far more than he owed Obito. Besides, he'd made mistakes in his past regarding Naruto… it was passed time he try to make up for some of them.

"I don't care what anyone has to say," said Kakashi. "I will take the Seventh Graduate Squad."

* * *

After lunch, team seven returned to the classroom to wait for their sensei. As others filed back in, Naruto stood up and approached team ten to challenge Shikamaru to a game of shogi, which was promptly accepted by the lazy genius.

Sakura could not deny that she was amazed, as was everyone else watching. The Naruto she'd once known was good at thinking on his feet, and very impulsive. The blond playing shogi with Shikamaru now, however, most definitely was _not_. He was calm, cool, and calculating, but in a way distinctly different from Sasuke's angst that made him undeniably attractive.

Try as she might to deny it, Sakura couldn't help but feel like she was quickly developing a crush on the handsome blond. It probably didn't help that she found the pink fox on his cloak somewhat flattering.

The game of shogi also amazed Chōji. The Akimichi found himself bewildered to see that Naruto was not only matching Shikamaru, but also actually pushing the Nara genius back at times. The game also served as a tribute to the tremendous patience Naruto had built up, as it took an average of five to ten minutes for each player to take his turn, and it wasn't exactly uncommon to see one or both of them take even longer than that. This quickly drew the attention of others in the class as well.

"Naruto, since when have you been any good at shogi?" asked Kiba, voicing the question that was on everyone's minds—with the exception of Shikamaru, who was focusing on the game.

In response to the question, Naruto shrugged slightly as he watched Shikamaru intently.

"One of the activities I had to pursue while I was away was sharpening my mind," said Naruto, motioning to the board slightly. "Shogi was excellent not only for that particular task, but also for teaching me patience. Being impatient and rushing into things is a surefire way to get yourself and your teammates killed." At that moment, Shikamaru made his move, taking one of Naruto's silver generals with his knight. Naruto, who'd already considered that particular move, quickly responded by sending his rook charging forward recklessly, only to stop just outside the range of Shikamaru's remaining gold general, putting in a position to take several of the Nara's pieces. "Of course, being able to think quickly is also important on a real battlefield, when your enemies aren't gonna sit around while you form strategies."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Shikamaru, considering the changes on the board.

* * *

Several hours later, team seven was the only one left waiting for their sensei, and had been that way for over an hour.

When Sarutobi Asuma came in to pick up team ten, Naruto and Shikamaru had somewhat reluctantly ended the game in a draw.

Now, as they waited for their apparently tardy sensei, Sakura turned her thoughts to the game of shogi that had been played. While Naruto and Shino didn't seem to particularly mind the wait, Sakura lacked the patience of her teammates, and was starting to get restless.

The game of shogi had gone a whole lot of nowhere. Sometimes, Shikamaru would push back against Naruto's forces, and sometimes it was Naruto doing the pushing, but the ultimate result was that the field was still even, and the game could've easily gone to either of them when it ended. Whenever one of them made a mistake, the other would promptly punish them for it; Shikamaru took his moves a little faster than Naruto most of the time, but Naruto still matched the Nara's brilliance, and sometimes made lightning quick and foolish moves to catch his opponent off-guard, buying time to form additional strategies of his own. While it had been fascinating to watch, it also grew rather repetitive after awhile, and the rosette's thoughts soon turned away from thinking of the game that had been played.

"Where is our sensei?" moaned Sakura. "He's late. I thought ninja were supposed to always be on time."

"He might be testing our patience, Sakura-san," said Naruto calmly.

"I guess…"

A few minutes later, the door of the classroom slid open. All three members of team seven turned to face the door as a head of silver hair was poked through, a single eye looking over them lazily, his other eye covered by his pulled down hitai-ate and the lower half of his face covered by a mask of black cloth.

"Hmmm…" murmured the cycloptean jōnin. It was difficult to get a reasonable first impression with this group. "Sorry to be late; I…" He chuckled weakly. "Well, I got a little lost. Anyways, meet me on the roof." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Suddenly, Naruto started chuckling, drawing the attention of his two teammates.

"Naruto-kun?"

"It's nothing," he said, shaking his head and standing up as he put his straw hat back on. "I just never thought we'd have the Copy Nin as our teacher."

"Copy Nin?" asked Sakura. Shino, however, had heard of the Sharingan wielder, and understood what Naruto was talking about. The bug user was intrigued—he'd expected the Copy Nin to be assigned to teach the Uchiha, though he supposed he should've realized his team had received Kakashi when it was Sarutobi Asuma who picked up team ten.

Standing up, Sakura and Shino followed Naruto up to the roof, where their sensei was waiting for them.

"Ah, you're here," said Kakashi. "Oh, and may I say that your current attire is much more appropriate than when I last saw you a few years ago?" Kakashi smiled while Naruto smirked.

"Well, anything's better than being a big orange bull's-eye, right?" Kakashi chuckled as the genin sat down in front of him.

"Alright then, if we're going to be a team, I think it's best that we introduce ourselves," said Kakashi.

"Well, what do you want to know?" asked Naruto.

"Hmm… oh, simple stuff really," he said. "Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future…"

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" said Sakura.

"Oh… me? Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi," he said. "I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes… dreams for the future… hmm… and I have a lot of hobbies…"

"So… all he told us… is his name?" muttered Sakura.

"Alright, let's start with you on the left," said Kakashi, pointing to Sakura.

"Me? Well…" started Sakura. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are… hmm, I guess books. My dislikes… Ino-pig and this big forehead of mine." Here, Naruto muttered that he thought her forehead was cute, but only Kakashi heard him. "I, uh, never really thought about any reasonable dreams for the future."

"Well, I suppose we'll leave it at that," said Kakashi. "Next."

"My name is Aburame Shino," said the bug user. "My likes are bugs. My primary dislikes would be noise and killing bugs. My hobbies are collecting bugs and studying the techniques of my clan. I have no real dream beyond becoming a good leader for my clan and protector of this village."

"Hmm… fair enough," said Kakashi with a slight smile as Sakura repressed a shudder. She never could get used to Shino and his bugs, but she'd have too, now that she was on a team with him. "And last will be you on the right."

Naruto grinned lightly. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto," he said. "My likes are ramen, books and Bunshin Jutsu." This surprised all three of the blond's companions, since he'd been such a blockhead only two years ago. "My dislikes… people who can't let go of the past and people who hate others without reason, for things outside their control." Kakashi nodded, thinking of the Kyūbi. "As for hobbies… well, I train and study a lot, but recreationally, I'd probably have to say pranks. As for my dream…" Naruto smiled, adjusting his hitai-ate. "I want to become Hokage and protect the people of this village from whatever may try to harm them."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise, but his surprise soon melted into a broad smile, though it was hidden beneath his mask.

"That's an ambitious sort of dream," he said. "But with your attitude, well, maybe you'll surprise us. Now then, I'd like you all to meet me at Training Ground 7 for survival training."

"Sensei… why survival training?" asked Sakura. "We've done plenty of that in the Academy." Naruto couldn't help but suppress a snort.

"Sakura-san, while I was out, I learned a lot," said Naruto. "Remember what Iruka-sensei said: the trials of the Academy are things that true ninja could do in their sleep."

"That's right," said Kakashi. "Becoming a ninja has several steps. The first is learning the most basic of the basics at the Academy. Once you've passed the Academy Graduation Exam, you are tested in what I like to think of as the _true_ graduation exam."

"What?" gasped Sakura as Naruto and Shino remained silent and impassive.

"By passing the Academy test, you've proven that you grasp the most basic of shinobi skills," explained Kakashi. "Now, we'll be testing them under more realistic conditions. The survival exercise has a failure rate of sixty-six percent, meaning no more than nine, maybe twelve, of the genin who graduated will pass, and perhaps not even that many. Those who fail will either go back to the Academy… or be removed from the shinobi program entirely."

Sakura froze at this, completely caught off-guard as her teammates calmly nodded in understanding.

"So, be up bright and early for the exam, seven o' clock sharp," said Kakashi. "I'll be your opponent. Bring all your gear. Oh… and I advise you not to eat breakfast. You might throw up." With that, Kakashi vanished.

"Throw up…?" muttered Naruto. "Come on, if we had stomachs that weak, we'd have no right to be ninja." Naruto stood up, looking at the other two as they also stood, Shino impassive and Sakura nervous. "Well, it wasn't an order, anyways. Might as well have something to eat. Better to have as much energy as we can, especially if Kakashi-sensei is really going to be our opponent in the exam."

"Agreed, Naruto-san," said Shino.

"Yeah… I guess you're right," said Sakura, her nervousness melting when Naruto looked at her with concern ever so slightly tinting his eyes. Sakura felt herself nearly melt when those gorgeous, shining sapphire blue eyes locked with her own eyes, only one thought going through her mind.

_It should be illegal to have eyes that beautiful._

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. With a little luck, the next one won't take me more than a month to complete, hopefully less. Sometimes, a story/chapter just really flows, and I can't stop working on it. This is how I once ended up with a chapter that extended to a length of over 12000 words-over 20 pages.**

**I'd like to note some "retconning" I'm doing on this story. Originally, Naruto was very fast, probably about as fast as Lee was without his weights, and this is with Naruto wearing his weights. Now, I'm cutting down on that a fair bit. Naruto is normally a little faster than Lee when they're both wearing weights (at the start, anyways), and probably about the same gap when their weights are removed.**

**As far as making Shino their teammate: I was originally gonna do Shikamaru, but I later decided to use Shino. Why? Well, because it's not uncommon to see Naruto on a team with Shikamaru, Hinata or Kiba, and it's also not uncommon to see Sasuke and Ino switch teams when people are aiming for the NaruSakuIno pairing. However, it's not often that you see Naruto on the same team as Shino or Chouji, and it's even less common when Sakura is still on his team. Additionally, most authors give Sasuke to Kakashi, regardless of who his teammates are. I decided to break that mold, just like I did in _Tsurugi Shinsei_ (of course, in _Tsurugi Shinsei_, most of the antagonists are eliminated from the start), and gave Sasuke over to Asuma while Kakashi sticks with Naruto.**

**On that note, I'd also considered having Sasuke and Ino in the same team, but I couldn't stand the idea of separating Shikamaru and Chouji unless they were with Naruto, and I didn't want to hand Sasuke over to Kurenai. Net result? Ino, Shino and Sasuke all moved "down a team". Also, I know there were only 27 graduates in canon, but I gotta tired of skipping over team 9 with the line about them "being in rotation" or something like that.**

**Finally, some information regarding the Mangekyou technique Izanami. I won't tell you what it does, exactly, but I will tell you a little information regarding the origins of the name. But, first things first: there is no relation between Izanami and the technique Madara claims Danzo is using in the current manga, Izanagi. Note that this information is only rough, not exactly how the myth goes:  
**

**In Shinto mythology, Izanami is the wife of Izanagi and the creator goddess. She gave birth to the islands of Japan and several deities. However, when she gave birth to Kagutsuchi, she was burned to death in the process. Izanagi later ventured to Yomi, the Shinto Land of the Dead, to seek her out. She concealed herself in darkness and asked him to bring no light. While she was sleeping, he lit a torch, and witnessed her hideous new visage, that of a rotting zombie. He fled Yomi, with Izanami hunting him down in rage over his abandonment, and he sealed the gate to Yomi. From within Yomi, she cried to him that she would take 1000 lives every day, to which he responded by roaring that he would create 1500 lives every day. This is how Izanami came to also be the Shinto goddess of death.**

**Pay attention to all that; part of the nature of Izanami is inspired by the above tale.  
**

**Anyways, enough Shinto rants. Again, I apologize for never updating, will try to work on it more in the future, and hope you all enjoyed.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**See you all later!**_  
_


	4. Survival Test

**As I've said before, sometimes, a chapter just really flows. This is a good demonstration. While nothing compared to that massive chapter for _Legend of the Sun Soul_, this chapter was decent length and was easy and quick to write. I'm glad it did flow, since this story really deserves some attention. A part of me almost regrets including Ino on the shipping, because I'm not certain how well I'll be able to write it. _Almost_ regrets, but not quite, because I can see it becoming a lot of fun in the long run.**

**Also, no offense intended, but any shipping for Naruto that _doesn't_ include Sasuke or Hinata needs more support. In a million years, Naruto will never be gay. And while Naruto cares for Hinata as a friend, she just isn't his type. She's too meek and shy, and Naruto, frankly, needs someone who will stand with him as an equal, regardless of any difference in their abilities. That's why I've never read a NaruHina fic, and the only ones I've read where Hinata _was_ a love interest for Naruto were Harem fics.**

**Anyways, enough about that. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and will continue to enjoy this fanfic. Also, I'd like to apologize in advance if Shino is ever OOC. Of all members of the "Konoha 11", he is easily the least prominent. You don't get much look into his personality beyond the stoic exterior, and he doesn't appear much in the story beyond the Chuunin Exams, and is less prominent when he does appear. I know he appears a fair touch in the pre-Ship****ū****den fillers, but I really never cared for those at all.**

**Alright, on with the story!**

**Note: Insert standard disclaimer here.  
**

* * *

"I'm home!" called Sakura, stepping through the door of her house.

"Welcome home, Sakura," replied her mother, Haruno Yuko, smiling at her daughter as she stepped out of the kitchen. "How did team assignments go?"

"Pretty good, actually," said Sakura, smiling lightly. "I'm on a team with Aburame Shino and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto, huh…?" whispered Yuko with a slight frown. Guilt flashed briefly through her mind, but she quickly dispelled it. No need to get Sakura involved in that subject. "That's good then. He's a wonderful person."

Sakura was silent, watching her mom as she returned to the kitchen. There had been a time, only two years ago, when Yuko had hated Naruto with a passion just like everybody else in the village, and had warned Sakura away from him even before he became a prankster. A part of her had always wondered why—it couldn't be that her mom had known what a loser he'd become. First of all, he only started behaving the way he had because of how he was treated. Sakura had realized that much. Second, Naruto was now the strongest of the rookie Genin, surpassing everyone, even Sasuke, on all fronts. Even discarding his abilities, he was quite a catch as far as eye candy went.

Silently, she marveled how two years of absence had changed people's opinions of the blond.

"And? What about your sensei?" asked Yuko as Sakura stepped into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"We got Hatake Kakashi," said Sakura. "I don't know much about him, but Naruto called him the 'Copy Ninja', and it seems that he's supposed to be really strong."

"Hmm…"

* * *

The next morning, three twelve-year-old Genin approached Training Ground 7 from different directions, each wide-awake, alert and ready.

They arrived precisely on time, even though they knew their sensei would likely be two or three hours later. This was not without reason, though—in fact, they'd agreed that it would provide them with a good chance to discuss what they were up against.

"Morning Naruto-kun, Shino-san," said Sakura.

"Good morning, Sakura-san, Shino-san," replied Naruto. Shino merely nodded in response as the three sat down under the shade of a tree. "I brought along some bentos to tide us over while we wait. With a Jōnin opponent, we're going to need all the energy we can get."

"All right, but nothing that'll make me fat," said Sakura. Naruto chuckled.

"Sakura-san, dieting is for fangirls, not kunoichi," he said sternly. "Unless you're slacking off or eating nothing _but_ fattening foods, the only weight you'll put on is muscle, which is a good thing." Naruto winced slightly, thinking of the heavy blows delivered by a certain S-class kunoichi criminal, but quickly shook it off.

"Anyways, you said Kakashi-sensei would be late today as well," said Sakura, changing the subject. "But to come on time so we could discuss what we know of him. So, since I wasn't helping, what did you two find out?"

After Kakashi had left them on the roof of the Academy yesterday, Naruto had suggested they do a little scouting, and Shino had immediately agreed. Information was a shinobi's greatest weapon, ignorance their greatest weakness. Therefore, they had to learn all they could about Kakashi before their exam. Sakura had admitted to a lack of any notable skills outside the academic area, something that had shamed her, but Naruto had reassured her that it would be fine as long as they could pass the test.

With all that out of the way, Naruto created several shadow clones, onto which Shino placed his Kikaichū insects. The clones transported the insects in pursuit of Kakashi. When they found him, the shadow clones would conceal themselves and continue to tail them, while the Kikai attached to his clothes in various areas. Later that night, the Kikai returned to Shino while the shadow clones dispelled themselves. Naruto then sent new clones to tell his teammates to arrive on time, giving them plenty of time to discuss strategy.

"Kakashi-san is an interesting one," said Shino, refusing to refer to him as their sensei until they'd passed the test. "Judging from what was overheard, he is perpetually late to everything, which is why we arrived on time rather than early. He is also a strong believer in teamwork, which it seems is connected to a friend who died when he failed on that account."

Naruto nodded, impressed that Shino had gotten that piece of information. His shadow clones hadn't been able to get close enough, though he had observed a few other things.

"He does have one notable weakness we can probably exploit," said Naruto. "He's a pervert."

"What?"

"You heard me, Sakura-san," said Naruto as the rosette started to seethe. "He's a lazy pervert who goes around almost everywhere reading a book from the Icha Icha Paradise series."

"Why that no good…"

"Calm down, Sakura-san," said Shino. "I'm sure Naruto-san has come up with a method of turning this against Kakashi-san."

"Several, actually," said Naruto. "I also went to Hokage-sama. He wouldn't tell me much, as was to be expected, but I convinced him to lend me this." With that, Naruto produced a copy of the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise, a special edition copy, and author-signed, no less. "It's a gift he was planning to give to Kakashi-sensei. I'm sure he'll be _very_ _displeased_ to see what we might do to his precious book-to-be."

Sakura and Shino blinked. Then blinked again. Then blinked a third time.

"Naruto-kun, that's brilliant!" cried Sakura, jumping on Naruto and squeezing him into a tight hug. Naruto gasped for breath. Damn that girl had strong arms when she really wanted to!

"Sakura-san, you may want to release Naruto-san," said Shino dryly a moment later. "I don't think he can breathe."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Naruto-kun!" said Sakura, letting go of the blond and bowing to him.

"It's fine, it's fine," said Naruto, waving it off mildly. However, internally, despite the near suffocation, he was dancing for joy. Sakura had hugged him!

"We'll need more than that to defeat a Jōnin," commented Shino. "Anything else up your sleeve?"

"I always have something—usually several dozen something's—up my sleeve," answered Naruto with an almost feral grin. "First, I can provide us with whatever weapon we need—because of my large chakra reserves, I can produce literally thousands of shadow clones without exhausting myself. Those shadow clones can then become any tool we need them to be. They can also distract Kakashi-sensei, providing us additional time to formulate strategies."

"That's a good idea," said Sakura thoughtfully. "Okay, we're limited in what we can do without knowing what test we'll be facing, but we can go ahead and get ourselves setup. Naruto, how long can you maintain your shadow clones for?"

"It depends on how many I create," said Naruto. "The fewer I make, the longer they can be maintained. But I can maintain as many as a thousand for several hours, though they only take one or two hits before they pop."

"That should be fine," said Sakura, nodding. "Alright, so, here's my setup plan…"

* * *

"Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Ehehehe… sorry," said Kakashi. "I got lost on the road of life."

"Cut the bullcrap Kakashi-sensei, I've already figured out that you're going to be late for everything," said Naruto, lazily staring up at the clouds in a manner reminiscent of a certain lazy Nara genius.

"Oh? Then why were you here early?" asked Kakashi, raising a hidden eyebrow.

"Because I get a better view of the clouds here than at my apartment."

"Well, in that case," said Kakashi, putting the timer he was carrying down on one of the log posts, along with two bento boxes. His eye narrowed suspiciously when he heard the distinct lack of grumbling stomachs. "I thought I said not to eat."

Sakura shrugged. "It wasn't an order," she said.

"It also occurred to us that if you're our opponent in the exam, we'd need all the energy we could," added Shino.

"Also, I brought along a little extra to account for the wait," said Naruto, pointing to three empty bento boxes sitting on a rock next to the base of a tree as he pulled himself up. Kakashi stared at the rock for a moment, confused. He didn't remember it being there, but he shook it off. He probably just never bothered to notice it. It wasn't like he'd memorized every aspect of this training ground.

"Well, I have to say, that was a good decision on your part," said Kakashi, setting the timer for noon. Then, he held up two bells. "Now then, here's the test. I'm going to tie these two bells to my belt. You're goal is to take one from me. When the timer goes off, anyone without a bell gets tied to a post… and must then watch as I eat their lunch right in front of them." The three shared a quick glance that didn't go unnoticed by the Jōnin. "You only need to get one bell, but anyone who doesn't have a bell fails by default. In other words, at least one of you is going to fail no matter what you do."

The eyes of all three Genin narrowed ever so slightly.

"You can use whatever tools you want," continued Kakashi. "You won't succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill."

"Not so sure about that," said Naruto, grinning. "I've sparred with tougher opponents than you."

"Oh? Then let's see you prove it," said Kakashi, tying the bells to his belt. "Is everyone ready?" When he received three confirming nods, he continued. "Begin."

In the next instant, all three Genin disappeared. Kakashi blinked. There was no way all three of them were that fast, was there?

* * *

"There's something wrong with this whole test," said Sakura after Naruto informed her of what his shadow clones had gathered.

"Agreed," said Shino. "I've never heard of anything but three-man teams of Genin. Never a two-man team, and one wouldn't even be a team."

"Yeah," said Naruto. "And remember what Kakashi-sensei said yesterday? He specifically stated that only _nine_ or _twelve_ candidates would pass. In other words, they have to pass or fail as a team."

"So the bells must be to make us turn on one another!" said Sakura in sudden understanding.

"Of course," muttered Naruto. "There's no way an average Genin could get the bell on their own. Two Genin couldn't either. It would take all three to get it, unless one of them was particularly exceptional. Sasuke or I could probably get the bell on our own, but it would be difficult. The problem is that we're the exception, not the rule. Given what we know about Kakashi-sensei… this isn't a test of ability, but a test of teamwork."

"So it's a good thing we setup like we did," said Sakura. Naruto nodded.

"Kakashi's engaging one of the clones," he said, receiving information from one of the many clones he'd scattered and disguised all over the training ground. "Alright, he'll almost certainly drag this out to the bitter end. The clone is Sakura's, so it's using the basic Academy Taijutsu… no offense."

"None taken."

"Anyways, he's pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise book," continued Naruto. "This'll be our chance. We need to think quickly, before Kakashi-sensei catches onto our little game."

* * *

Kakashi sighed as Naruto emerged and came at him, allowing Sakura to retreat. His eyes narrowed as Naruto threw his punches recklessly, switching from the precision grace of his Jūken-based Taijutsu to the reckless brawling of a street fighter. What was he up too?

Naruto lashed out with a kick that Kakashi easily dodged, seeming to vanish as he appeared behind Naruto.

"A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind, idiot," said Kakashi, not hiding his disappointment in the least as he formed the Tiger seal. "Sennen Goroshi!"

With that, Kakashi jabbed his fingers forward, but in the next instant, an explosion knocked him back before he'd even made contact with Naruto, sending Kakashi flying across the training grounds.

_What was that?!_ thought Kakashi, bouncing to his feet, only to realize that he was restrained by several Naruto's hanging onto him. _He's using __**Kage Bunshin**__?_

In front of Kakashi stood his three students, all looking distinctly smug. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, Shino and Sakura transformed into Naruto, and Kakashi's eye narrowed.

"Where are the others?" he asked casually. The Naruto in the middle smirked.

"Oh, we figured I'd be enough, so they're off enjoying themselves," he said casually. "We'll figure out the bell thing later." Kakashi's eye narrowed further at the obvious lie—Naruto was taunting him.

As Naruto charged in, he delivered another punch with that brawling street fighter style, only for Kakashi to transform into a clone that promptly disappeared. However, as the explosive tags Kakashi dropped went off, Naruto continued to smirk.

Hidden in the trees, Kakashi let out another disappointed sigh. Naruto was clearly overconfident. But…

That confidence wasn't entirely misplaced. Kakashi replaced his book in his kunai pouch, deciding it was time to take this a little more seriously.

"Hmm… it seems like I've been dealing with Naruto ever since I told them to begin," he said. "I think I'll go find Sakura."

With that, the silver-haired Jōnin vanished.

* * *

"Phase one complete," said Naruto, locking eyes with the other two as he placed the book he'd been casually looking over as he waited into his kunai pouch. "Now for phase two."

"Got it," said Sakura, running out of the hidden clearing. Naruto looked at his last teammate and the two shared a nod before leaving themselves, in a different direction from Sakura.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, a scream split the air, and a certain pink-haired kunoichi fainted, collapsing spread-eagled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

_Maybe I overdid it…?_ thought Kakashi, staring at Sakura's unconscious form after being victimized by Genjutsu. _Oh well, no harm done in the long run._

Kakashi leapt backwards through the trees and set off to find Aburame Shino.

It didn't take him long.

Shino was standing in a clearing, hands in the pockets of his overcoat, calmly waiting for Kakashi. The silver-haired Jōnin chuckled slightly.

"Compared to the others, you're a strange one," he said mirthfully.

"Since I doubt you've ever fought an Aburame…" said Shino, raising his arms as Kikai insects swarmed out from them. "I doubt you've ever faced an opponent quite like me."

With that, Shino threw several shuriken Kakashi's way, accompanied by several more which were clearly composed of the Kikai swarming from his sleeves. Kakashi evaded, but the Kikai suddenly turned, back on course with Kakashi. The Jōnin's eye narrowed as he used **Kawarimi no Jutsu** to escape.

Shino, evidently, anticipated where he'd move to, though, and was already surging towards Kakashi, moving with surprising speed and grace. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he began to piece together the truth of the matter.

Team seven outclassed all of the other Genin teams this year.

Naruto, of course, had easily outclassed all of the other Genin, and from the reports, he hadn't even been trying.

Shino, on the other hand, performed well, but was nothing that really stood out. However, Kakashi now realized that he was probably stronger than Sasuke, which would make him the second best of his year. Shino understood the importance of deception to the shinobi.

This made Sakura the weak link in the group, but even though her only strength was book smarts, she had a lot of potential and room to grow.

_Hmmm… actually, I find myself really hoping they will pass_, thought Kakashi as he continued to trade blows with Shino, occasionally evading the Kikai insects, which he knew were extraordinarily dangerous.

Shino threw a punch, which Kakashi evaded, then dropped down low, aiming to kick Kakashi's feet out from under him. Kakashi leapt up into the air.

That was when Shino struck, his hands lashing out towards the bells, along with the Kikaichū. Kakashi's eyes widened. Damn it, this kid was better than he'd thought!

Again, Kakashi transformed into a log as he used the substitution technique to make his getaway. Behind his glasses, Shino's eyes darted about, trying to find the Jōnin.

"Below!" cried Kakashi's voice as a hand gripped Shino's legs. Before he could react, the bug-user was pulled down and buried to his neck.

"**Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu**," said Kakashi, kneeling in front of Shino with a smirk that was evident even beneath his mask. "Well, you're not half bad. Too bad that's still bad enough." Kakashi laughed lightly at the (horrible, horrible) line as he walked away.

When he was out of sight, 'Shino' smirked before breaking down into a swarm of Kikaichū that promptly returned to the host.

* * *

"Everything is in place," said Shino as the Kikaichū landed on his fingers. Sakura shivered, watching those bugs slip into his clothes, knowing they were living throughout his body. At least he had the courtesy to keep it relatively hidden.

"Alright, then I guess it's time for phase three," said Naruto, standing up and heading back to the clearing where it all began.

* * *

"Ah, Naruto," said Kakashi mildly when the blond appeared, just as he was about to pull his book back out to continue reading. "Are you really going for the bells this time, rather than sending your clones after me?"

"Yeah, I figured it was time I took this seriously as well," said Naruto. Kakashi nodded as Naruto slipped into that Jūken-style. He'd have to ask Naruto what the name for it was, later.

Suddenly, Naruto shot forward, so fast Kakashi barely raised his guard in time. What the hell?! Was this Naruto's true speed?!

Kakashi ducked under one strike, then retaliated with a punch of his own, but Naruto twisted out of the way. Kakashi's eye narrowed. He'd have to take this a touch more seriously himself.

Kakashi leapt back, hands running through seals with blinding speed, ending on the Tiger seal.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!"

At that instant, Kakashi spat a giant fireball Naruto's way, engulfing the cloaked Genin in flame. Kakashi landed, worried that he might have actually hit the boy.

But when the fireball cleared, there was nothing.

"**Gōkakyū no Jutsu**? You _are_ taking this seriously!" came Naruto's voice. Kakashi ducked, just as Naruto delivered a strike where the Jōnin's neck had been an instant earlier.

_Was that a shadow clone I hit…? No, I'm certain it wasn't. He must've used __**Kawarimi no Jutsu**__ to escape. This Taijutsu style, his speed, his escape, the number of clones he produced and the fine chakra control for that training I observed… there's no doubt about it. Naruto is at least a Chūnin in terms of abilities. He's incredible!_

Kakashi continued to dodge Naruto's strikes to the best of his abilities, but it was proving more difficult than he'd expected. He deflected one or two blows, and his eye widened at the sheer force behind them.

_It's not just speed, but strength too and he's only twelve years old… who the hell could've turned this boy from a deadlast into __this__ in only two years?_

Bringing his speed up another level, Kakashi dodged one blow, then lashed out with a kick that Naruto couldn't block or dodge.

But when the blow connected, Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.

_A shadow clone…?! Then I've really been fighting nothing but clones this whole time?!_

Kakashi landed on his feet near the pond, one hand rising almost instinctively to his hitai-ate. Was Naruto really going to make him use that?

At that moment, dozens of Naruto's exploded from all around Kakashi, charging him all at once.

_Oh fuck that._

When they reached Kakashi, the Jōnin made a quick get away with **Kawarimi no Jutsu**, leaving a few dozen explosive tags attached to the log, wiping out all of the shadow clones.

Kakashi reappeared next to the posts, and it was then that an odd thought occurred to him. He glanced over at the timer to see that it was still more than two hours from going off. But he knew they'd been at it for at least two hours.

He chuckled. "Very clever," he said. "You broke the timer."

"Actually sensei…" said a soft voice next to Kakashi's ear as he suddenly felt a lot of added weight and a kunai pressed to his neck. "We replaced it with a shadow clone."

Before Kakashi could react, he felt his chakra drain away rapidly, and nearly collapsed to the ground at the sudden loss.

Kikaichū swarmed off of Kakashi's body and onto the body of Aburame Shino as the bug-user and both his teammates stepped into Kakashi's view.

Each of them was holding a jingling bell.

Kakashi chuckled as the Naruto on his back vanished in a puff of smoke, along with the timer, the rock on which the eaten bentos had been placed, several animals in the area, and a broken tree branch here and there.

"So, care to tell me what happened and where the extra bell came from?" he said, checking his belt to confirm what he already knew: the bells were gone.

"The extra bell was my doing," said Naruto. "I sent a shadow clone off to buy one that would be indistinguishable from the ones you had."

"Clever, but the ones I had are very old."

"That's why we beat all three of them up a little more, and wore the new one down using jutsu," said Sakura, smiling as she jingled her bell slightly.

"Hmm… so what's to stop me from failing all three of you for this bit of treachery?"

"Deceit is part of the art of the shinobi, Kakashi-sensei," said Shino, confident that they'd passed. "Never underestimate your opponent, no matter how small they may seem. Naruto-san and I scouted out information on you yesterday, and we used that to our advantage here, coming early to discuss strategy as we waited for you."

"You've been caught in a giant illusion from the moment you stepped onto the field," added Naruto. "When you got here, we'd already left and found a place to hide in the little forest we've got here. Meanwhile, I left behind three shadow clones, two of which used **Henge no Jutsu** to disguise themselves as Sakura-san and Shino-san."

Sakura nodded. "Naruto-kun also left a bunch of other shadow clones scattered about the training ground under various disguises, from rocks to animals," she said, picking up Naruto's explanation. "While you gave your explanation to the clones, Naruto already had you surrounded, and Shino-san had littered the field with his bugs."

"When your explanation was given, the three shadow clones hid themselves, while another disguised in the tree dispelled itself, telling Naruto-san what the test was," said Shino, continuing for Sakura. "This allowed us to discuss the test without you being aware we were communicating at all."

"We also realized that there weren't any two-man teams," said Sakura. "And you said yesterday that only nine or twelve Genin would be passing; in other words, three or four teams of _three_ people each, meaning we had to pass or fail as a team."

"After that, we devised our plan of attack," said Naruto. "Once we'd decided what to do, I created another shadow clone, then dispelled it. Since the new clone was aware of our strategies and the other clones weren't, this allowed me to instantly inform our army of what was going on."

"After that, they launched their attack," said Shino. "The goal, however, was not to get the bells, but rather, to drop the Kikaichū I'd left with the clones onto your body while you were distracted with fending off Naruto-san. Along with the Kikaichū, a shadow clone that was disguised as one hid on your back."

"When you dealt with the first wave, we continued on to the next phase," said Sakura. "When you tried to put me in a Genjutsu, you actually got a clone that was disguised as me and was apparently a pretty good actor. Once you let your guard down, I put my own minor Genjutsu on you to disguise the sound of the real bells and create an illusionary sound in its place. I was watching you from then on, making sure the false noises were made at the appropriate time."

"While Sakura-san was luring you away, Naruto-san and I dealt with the alarm in case it took longer than expected and put the final phases of our plan into motion," continued Shino. "I created a **Kikai Bunshin** to confront you and place several Kikaichū on the bells. Then, Naruto-san confronted you once we had confirmation that all the pieces were in place."

"Those weren't shadow clones, Kakashi-sensei," said the blond in question. "That was the real deal, but whenever a blow threatened to hit me, I used **Kawarimi no Jutsu** to switch places with one of the clones. Your arrival by the pond was the cue for my clones to attack en masse."

"While you were by the pond, Shino-san's bugs cut the bells loose," said Sakura. "My chakra reserves are low, so I was able to get close without being noticed. Naruto-kun taught me **Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** while we were waiting for you, since I didn't have any solid clone techniques. I just created one next to you while you were focused on the clones, had it grab the bells, and toss them to the other side, where I was waiting."

"To finish our grand illusion, the Kikaichū on your body drained your chakra while the shadow clone moved in for the kill," said Shino.

"And that about sums it all up," said Naruto, smirking.

Kakashi was gobsmacked. He'd just been completely outwitted by a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears Genin. No, outwitted didn't even scratch the surface. He'd underestimated them, and badly, and now, he'd been effectively humiliated.

And not only had they devised this enormous illusion into which he'd been trapped, but Sakura had learned to perform **Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** in less than two hours?!

"Oh, right, I forgot one more thing…"

Kakashi turned almost uncertainly to the blond, only to see him holding up a suspiciously familiar orange book.

Kakashi blanched and reached into his kunai pack, pulling out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. But an instant later, that copy disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"When the clones were putting Kikaichū on you, I had one disguise itself as your book and swap places with it using **Kawarimi no Jutsu**," said Naruto, grinning almost maniacally. "Now, you can either pass us, or I'll destroy the book, along with that special, author-signed first edition the Sandaime was planning to give you."

Kakashi blanched even more visibly before sagging.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Congratulations. You all pass." The Jōnin sighed as his book was tossed back to him. Then, he chuckled.

"You know, I think you're the first people to ever see through this test," said Kakashi, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "It was first employed by the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage to test a team of new Genin. That team consisted of the Sandaime Hokage-to-be and his two advisors. Sandaime-sama then used it to test the students who would become known as the Densetsu no Sannin. Jiraiya-sama would later use it to test his own students, who included Namikaze Minato, the greatest hero in Konoha's history. Before he became the Yondaime Hokage, Minato-sensei was assigned a team that he tested in the same way—mine."

Kakashi sighed, straightening up. "But no team ever saw through the entire test from the start," he said. "I believe Minato-sensei probably figured it out, but that was partway through the test, too late to salvage the situation, and it was a mistake he never made again. I can see a bright future for all three of you."

Kakashi then walked past them, motioning them to follow as he stepped up to the Memorial Stone. He kneeled down before it, placing a hand gently on the stone.

"Look at this," he said. "The numerous names carved on this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of this village… ones who gave their lives in the line of duty. It's a memorial… my best friend… my teammate… and my sensei. All their names are carved on here." Kakashi straightened and turned to his students. "I want you to remember that. I once made the mistake of placing my duties over my comrades. That is how my best friend died—I realized what a stupid idiot I was too late, and because of that mistake, he died saving my life." Kakashi's hand continued to rest on the memorial. "I want you to remember this lesson, above and beyond all others, because it is the road that all ninja of Konohagakure no Sato should follow, a road of true power, the road that is the Will of Fire."

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum," said Kakashi. "But… those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. I learned that lesson the day my friend died, and it is in understanding that lesson that I have truly grasped what it means to be a ninja of this village. I want you all to remember that."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto, conviction thick in his voice. "I swear to you, I won't forget."

"I won't either," said Sakura.

"I too shall remember this lesson," said Shino.

"Good," said Kakashi. "Then meet on the bridge near the entrance to the training grounds tomorrow. We'll start missions then, and afterwards, we'll focus on your training."

* * *

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow in surprise when Kakashi appeared in his office shortly after noon. The only other occupants of the room were Asuma and Kurenai, who'd passed their teams and were waiting to see who else passed. All the other Jōnin had failed their own teams.

"You're early, Kakashi," said Hiruzen. "What, did you decide to skip the 'make-up' test?"

"Actually, I'm here to report that team seven has passed with flying colors," said Kakashi, smiling. The others all stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"You? _You_ actually _passed_ a team?" said Asuma, sounding like he didn't believe it. He turned to Kurenai. "Alright, this is a very convincing Genjutsu, but you can drop it now."

"It's not a Genjutsu," said Kurenai, sounding annoyed.

"Let me put it another way," said Kakashi with a small sigh. "I will be _extremely_ proud to say that I got to teach Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. They never got to the second phase of the test—they completed crushed and steamrolled over the first test. They weren't fooled for a minute. Right from the off, they recognized the true purpose of the test, and that shouldn't come as a surprise. As far as the official results go, these three are the smartest Genin in their year, and after seeing what they're capable of, I will gladly vouch for the authenticity of that statement."

"Really?" said Hiruzen with a raised brow. "Care to tell me what, exactly, they did?"

"Simple," said Kakashi. "They trapped me in a grand and inescapable illusion, based on a critical and usually warranted mistake: I underestimated them, _badly_. They scouted information on me after the introduction yesterday—I'm sure you're aware of that. They knew I'd arrive late, but they still arrived at the appointed time, taking advantage of my absence to strategize. When I reached the training grounds, I found all three of them waiting. As it turned out, I actually found three shadow clones, two of them disguised, keeping their actual location a secret from me right from the start."

"So, Naruto truly has learned to take full advantage of **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,**" muttered the Sandaime. "Continue, Kakashi."

"Well, to keep a long story short, I spent almost the entire test facing clones," said Kakashi. "I didn't see the real Naruto until he confronted me at the end of the test, and even then, he was simply pushing me to where Sakura was waiting to grab the bells that were cut free by Shino's Kikaichū. Earlier, when I thought I'd placed Sakura in a Genjutsu, it turned out to be a clone, and instead, _she_ used a minor Genjutsu on _me_, silencing the real bells and creating a false sound in their place so I wouldn't notice when the bells were taken from me. And when it all came to an end, I found myself with the kunai of a shadow clone at my throat, a large portion of my chakra drained by the Kikaichū that had been dropped all over me, and all three of the real students standing in front of me… _each_ holding an identical bell. And my book."

While Asuma and Kurenai stared at Kakashi, still incredulous, Hiruzen finally released the laughter that had been building.

"In other words," said Hiruzen, still chuckling. "You were privately _humiliated_ by a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears _Genin_."

"… yes, that about sums it up."

"You've gotta be kidding," said Asuma, rubbing his temples. "My team barely passed, and that was thanks to Shikamaru and Chōji. I would've failed the Uchiha if it hadn't meant failing those two as well. The kid might have some hope, but his cocky attitude is maddening."

"Same here," said Kurenai. "Kiba and Ino are both extremely brash, and Hinata doesn't have the confidence to do well without help. They only passed because both of them wanted to help Hinata. Hokage-sama, I thought we were trying to keep the teams balanced?"

"When you consider Naruto, it becomes difficult to balance the teams," said the Hokage with all seriousness. "When I was deciding on the teams, I considered the importance of balance, but soon realized that a lot of clan heirs were in the same general area—Shikamaru and Chōji were near the bottom of the class, Sasuke and Shino were near the top, and Kiba, Hinata and Ino were about midlevel. After some consideration, I reorganized the original teams somewhat, forgoing balance for what I felt would work best. First, I knew that I would have to keep Sasuke away from a team with any girl other than Hinata. Second, I had to consider the senseis. Finally, I had to determine who would be able to work well together."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair slightly, chewing on the end of his pipe absentmindedly. "Following the first condition, a natural choice would be to put Sasuke on a team with Kiba and Hinata. And that would've worked, until you considered the second condition. A sensei that could meet their needs would not be able to meet Sasuke's, and vice versa. Discarding that, another possibility, in the quest of maintaining balance, would be to put Sasuke on a team with Shikamaru and Kiba, and put them under Kakashi's guidance. However, it was also important to watch the balance of the remaining teams."

"And you eventually reached this conclusion," said Asuma, nodding as he now understood his father's reasons. Hiruzen sighed, and gave a small nod.

"It _does_ unbalance the teams," he admitted. "Although Sasuke's overall score was greater than Shino's, I think we all understand which is the stronger ninja, and Naruto is easily far stronger, while Sakura was about the middle of the class, strong in academics, moderate in Genjutsu and ninja tools, and weak in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. However, even if we were to put Naruto on a team with the lowest scorers, the results would be the same, if less obvious."

"I see," said Kurenai. She shook her head. "Things are going to get interesting, aren't they?"

"Yes," said Hiruzen, grinning slightly. "Things in the Village of the Hidden Leaf are going to get very, _very_ interesting, now that the Yondaime's Legacy has returned."

* * *

"So, Naruto-kun, you've spent the last two years training?" asked Sakura as the Genin of team seven sat down at Ichiraku Ramen Bar, though Naruto had had a little difficulty convincing Sakura to indulge him.

"That's right," said Naruto. "One bowl of shōyu ramen with extra vegetables, please."

"Coming right up!" said Teuchi cheerfully. "And how about you two?"

"I'll have shio ramen please," said Sakura.

"The same as Sakura-san," added Shino.

"Not a problem."

"So, what did you learn?" said Sakura, continuing her earlier question. "Hinata, Ino and I saw you training the day after graduation."

"Hmm… that's weird, you'd think I'd have noticed that," said Naruto mildly. "Well, for the most part, I was simply worked to death in chakra control exercises and academics. My sensei used an extremely potent training method revolving around **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**."

"What sort of training?" asked Sakura, curious to know how shadow clones could've been that helpful in Naruto's training.

"Remember how I used them for scouting yesterday and had them dispel themselves to quickly spread information?"

Sakura and Shino's eyes widened as both almost immediately grasped the implications.

"So you could have each clone study something different, and then it's like you're studying a whole bunch of things at once?" gasped Sakura as the ramen was put in front of the three Genin.

"Exactly," said Naruto, breaking apart a pair of chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

With that the three started eating. Sakura had heard rumors about Naruto's eating habits two years earlier from Iruka, so she was actually rather pleased to discover that Naruto ate rather politely.

"How come nobody else uses this training method?" asked Sakura, pausing for a moment. Naruto also paused and gave a slight shrug.

"The truth is, most people can't," he said. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** is very draining on one's chakra reserves. I've always had very large reserves from a young age, though, so it's easy for me. I actually had an easier time with the higher-level clone techniques than with the basic **Bunshin no Jutsu** because the basic Academy Ninjutsu use almost no chakra at all. The larger your reserves, the harder it is to control your chakra, the more difficult jutsu become. In return, though, you can generally perform many more jutsu than normal people."

"I see," said Sakura. "It's a shame Shino-san and I can't train that way."

"Says who?" replied Naruto softly, drawing the attention of both his teammates. "If we bring your reserves up to the point that you can produce shadow clones, you can use this training method. Maybe not as effectively as I can, but it would nevertheless speed your training up to at least twice the normal rate. Not only that, but the more you use shadow clones, the quicker your chakra reserves will grow, since merely producing them serves as a sort of training for your reserves. Furthermore, the younger you are, the less developed your chakra coils are, meaning the more strain and push you put on them from a young age, the more they'll grow. Eventually, chakra development will nearly flatline, but when you're young, it can grow very quickly, and if you keep at it, it'll be longer before the development degrades."

"You sure?"

"Of course, Sakura-san," said Naruto, finishing up his ramen. "Because of the shadow clones, I got at least eighty years worth of academic studies done."

"Eighty years?!" Naruto chuckled, and even stoic Shino seemed amazed.

"I can produce and maintain a thousand or more clones each day for over several hours," explained Naruto. "Depending on what the clones are doing, sometimes even longer."

"That's… that's amazing," said Sakura. Naruto smiled slightly.

"Well, if Kakashi-sensei agrees and you two get your reserves up enough to handle it, I'll teach you **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**," said Naruto as he put some money on the counter, covering the cost of ramen for all three of them. "Thank you for the meal, Teuchi-san, Ayame-san." With that, Naruto stood up to leave.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun," said Ayame, smiling sweetly. "Come back anytime."

Naruto nodded and smiled while Sakura and Shino finished up thanked the Ichirakus for the meal themselves.

"I shall return home now," said Shino. "Goodbye, Naruto-san, Sakura-san. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

With that, Shino left.

"Well, I'm gonna get in a bit more training and studying," said Naruto, walking towards the training ground he'd been using over the last week.

"Um… Naruto-kun?"

Naruto paused, looking back at the uncertain rosette. "Yes, Sakura-san?"

Sakura blushed lightly, fidgeting somewhat uncomfortably. "Um… can I… can I come with you?" Sakura felt her blush growing, but if Naruto noticed, he didn't say anything.

Instead, the blond simply smiled that brilliant smile of his as he gave a slight nod, and Sakura's blush deepened further.

"Of course, Sakura-san."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, there we have it. I've seen plenty of instances where they figure out the bell test, but they're predominantly time travel or humor fics. And I believe that, with Naruto using his head and Sakura not being distracted by Sasuke (plus the removal of his arrogant attitude in general), this is how all of this would've played out in canon.**

**I've said it before: Naruto is powerful, but he's only somewhat stronger than characters like Lee. Admittedly, that does count for a lot at this stage in the story, but in the long run, it's not gonna shatter everything. This Naruto has three major assets: his large chakra reserves, his speed, and most importantly, his brains. He may not be a natural born genius the way Shikamaru is, but he's done a _lot_ of study, and unless you're completely retarded, that's going to count for quite a bit.**

**I've already got a rough idea of how the story is going to play out up to the start of Ship****ū****den, but from there, things are pretty much up in the air, meaning I'll probably take a break from that point to "map out" some of what will be going on in the long run. Also, just to make things clear, there _is_ significance to the "Bloodlines" title, but it won't be understood and made clear until the Tsunade Search Arc, when Mai and Itachi return.**

**Also, for those of you who are curious, the name of Mai's Taijutsu style--the one that Naruto uses predominantly--is "Mir****ā****ken", meaning "Mirror Fist", and refers to it being a "mirror" of the J****ūken that people without the Byakūgan can use.**

**Oh, and because I'm annoyed...**

**The next chapter may receive an extra delay beyond the time it takes to write, as I will not post until this chapter has received at least ten reviews. Why, you ask? Because I want real opinions. I want more than just the encouragement of people marking it as a favorite or subscribing to it. I want to know what people think of what has been written. And, for the record, that means more than a simple "good job, update soon" or anything like that (I swear, if I receive any of "those" I'll add an extra day before I update for each one). Sorry to say all that, but like I said, I'm annoyed with not knowing more about what people think.**

**Regardless of the previous paragraph, I will hopefully have another update ready and waiting soon.**

**Ja ne! ^_^  
**


	5. Training

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay—I was kind of all over the place lately. This would've been up yesterday, except that FF's upload server was having some kind of error and wouldn't upload. Pretty annoying.**

**Anyways, I greatly appreciate all the reviews for the last chapter and how much people seem to enjoy this story.**

**Also: I'm really beginning to hate Sasuke. He was good enough in the first part, and I've tried to be at least somewhat sympathetic to his past, but his latest action... bastard needs to be put down, _badly_. Not only is he completely beyond all chance of redemption, but any grip he ever had on sanity seems to have completely left him. I mean, even his desire to kill Naruto and his former teammates has been within reason, under the circumstances. In contrast, not only was Karin healing him only a moment ago, but even in his present condition, I have no doubt that Sasuke could've saved her and still killed Danzō, and all it would've cost him was a bit of extra effort. Thus, I can only hold Sasuke largely in contempt. I know of very few characters—anywhere—who have fallen to his level. Frankly, at this point, he makes Sephiroth look like a good guy (discounting goals and looking at behavior).**

**Next, I have two reviews to publicly reply too. The first, sent in by Sasuke Rules you All, was basically accusing me of being a Naruto/Hinata hater. This is not the case--it is simply a pairing that I do not enjoy because in no way can I see it happening. The idea of them in a relationship is one I can believe, but I don't see it happening outside of a triad. If you want evidence against me being a Naruto/Hinata hater, remember that she was going to be paired with Naruto in the original _Yondaime's Legacy_, along with Sakura and Ino, before I decided to take the story down altogether. And for those of you who don't know about that story, my reasons had nothing to do with Hinata.**

**The second review was an anonymous review on the first chapter, where I was called an idiot (I'm putting this more politely than the reviewer) who didn't know anything about Naruto. There was this whole rant: Tsukuyomi is only possible with the Mangekyou, but that's only available to Uchiha, and Mai's not an Uchiha and so on and so forth. Well, I deleted that since it was anonymous, stupid, and ignorant. However, I felt I should send a brief message out to my readers: I have a pretty thorough understanding of the Naruto universe outside of the anime fillers, which I've never cared for. It's true that Mai is not an actual member of the Uchiha clan, but just because she has a different clan name doesn't mean she can't be related to the Uchiha. Also, this guy ranted that I should "add some history to that character you ** noob". Well, at this point, I had to start laughing. The sheer stupidity of this particular reviewer, who didn't even show the decency to try and use proper grammer or use his head, made me laugh, because apparently, if I don't tell everybody _everything_ about a character the instant they're introduced, then quite obviously, they have no history, and I only put them in there to appease my own ego. Those of you with sensible heads can probably see why I found this guy's idiocy so ridiculously amusing.**

**But, just to assure people regardless, I will not even try to deny that I've made Kazekaika Mai an extraordinarily powerful character who even Madara and Pein have no desire to test their power against. However, I would also like to make it clear that I have a pretty thorough history for her, which gives a number of good reasons for _why_ she is as powerful as she is. At this point, though, I'm fairly certain she'll end up like Itachi: hardly ever seeing action and never demonstrating her true strength. In terms of character, I drew a great deal of inspiration for her from Itachi, and her role is markedly similar, but she and Itachi are both acting on goals outside anything he'd previously demonstrated.**

**Alright, enough about that. I apologize for that long talk about Mai, but my biggest fear in stories which feature significant OCs is comparable to the metaphor "you don't see the forest for the trees", where people ignore the story and other characters in favor of the OC, who becomes an overpowering presence for them as a consequence, and can make any but the absolute weakest and most useless of characters seem like Mary Sues.**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters.**

* * *

Kikaichū swarmed out from Shino's sleeves, flying straight at Kakashi. The Jōnin flipped back, running through hand seals for a basic Katon jutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!" cried Kakashi.

At the same instant, there was an accompanying cry of "**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**!"

Kakashi had anticipated Naruto using the technique he'd been taught (the kid was a Ninjutsu sponge) and was silent as the water dragon emerged from the pond to intercept his fireball before flying Kakashi's way. Moving quickly, Kakashi readied another jutsu for his defense.

"**Doton: Doryūheki**!" he cried, forming a rock wall in front of him from the ground, halting the water dragon.

The sound of kunai and shuriken flying through the air alerted Kakashi to what was about to happen next, and the Jōnin fled with **Kawarimi no Jutsu** as the bladed weapons struck.

That was when the explosive tags went off. These weren't ordinary explosive tags either, but instead, custom ones that Sakura and Naruto had made together, and the force was enough to shatter Kakashi's rock wall.

From his hiding place in a tree, Kakashi's eye widened. Weren't they taking this a little too seriously?

It was Saturday, and the Genin technically all had the day off, but team seven wasn't willing to let Kakashi off easy, demanding at least one spar for the day.

Kakashi's danger sense went off, and he leapt from the tree just in time to avoid a **Kikai Bunshin** dropping on top of him. These kids were dangerous!

When Kakashi landed in the middle of the main clearing, he found himself surrounded by his three Genin, who all charged him at once, Shino with his family Taijutsu, Naruto and Sakura with the Mirāken. Kakashi winced slightly as he ducked under one attack, only for Sakura to jab his arm with her fingers, accompanied by a release of chakra.

The Mirāken truly was a close mirror for the Jūken. Although it was aimed at targeting nerve clusters to disable the opponent rather than cause internal injuries, the overall principles were the same, and the Mirāken used small bursts of chakra to help it really get at the target. Naruto had been teaching the style to Sakura ever since they passed the bell test.

And now, Kakashi's arm was slightly numbed. He could still use it, but it was clear that even that minor strike was hampering him. The three Genin jumped back, and Naruto grinned at Kakashi.

"Boom," he said. Kakashi's eye widened, and he gathered a large degree of chakra in his feet, rocketing him upward as all three of his students—or, to be more precise, the three shadow clones that had swapped places with his students—exploded.

While Kakashi was distracted with his escape, though, he failed to notice the kunai flying through the air overhead with small sacks attached to them. Additional, precisely aimed kunai cut the strings of the sack, releasing the small papers and sakura petals within.

"**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu**!" called Sakura, throwing the final piece of her little technique. Kakashi paled, visible eye expanding so large that it seemed to have gone white as the exploding tag on the last kunai detonated, causing a chain reaction that detonated all of the smaller exploding tags floating in the air around him.

Konoha's top Jōnin landed on the ground and rolled several feet, battered by the work of his three Rookie Genin. Had they pulled that maneuver on almost any ninja below Jōnin level, they most certainly would've killed the target.

"Alright, I think that's enough!" called Kakashi. "We keep going at this rate and the three of you will kill me!"

There was some light chuckling as Naruto, Shino and Sakura stepped forth from their hiding places and walked up to their sensei.

"Sorry about that, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura. "I just really wanted to test out the new toys." Kakashi blanched when she referred to them as 'toys'. He'd hate to see what she'd consider a real weapon.

"You call that a toy?" he muttered before shaking his head. "Well, like I said, that's enough for today. Now, I want you three to relax and enjoy yourselves. That's an order."

"Oh fine," said Naruto as Kakashi smirked at them and left. Naruto let out a small sigh, knowing his sensei would catch on immediately if he did try to train. "Man… I had no idea the legendary Copy Nin was such a pain to deal with."

"I know what you mean," said Sakura lightly. Shino began to walk away.

"I'm heading to the forest," he said. "I'll see you at the next team meeting."

"See ya, Shino-san," called Naruto before turning to his rosette teammate. "Well, we're being forced to take the day off. Anything you want to do?"

"No… not really," admitted Sakura. Naruto was quiet for a moment before a grin split his face.

"In that case, how about helping with a little payback?"

Sakura looked at Naruto, not at all certain how to take his words.

* * *

Kakashi hummed lightly as he walked down the streets of Konoha, his nose once against buried in a book of the Icha Icha series. However, only half of his mind was on the book in front of him.

Because Naruto was so much more advanced then his teammates, Kakashi decided to start them on some of the basic exercises a little earlier than he'd originally intended. He'd planned to focus on teamwork first if they passed, but the ease with which they'd done so made it clear that they weren't lacking in that area.

Therefore, while Shino and Sakura would practice chakra control, Kakashi sparred with Naruto and taught him a few jutsu, including the **Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**.

To his surprise, though, Sakura already had tree walking down, having spent the week following graduation training her control with Hinata and Ino, but she couldn't last very long because of her low reserves. Because of that, Kakashi had started her on water walking, and then asked Naruto to create a shadow clone to train Sakura in the Mirāken, which would be well suited to her, while she was practicing water walking. While it was clearly very challenging, Sakura seemed to really enjoy herself.

Shino, on the other hand, had not done any of the chakra control exercises before hand. Despite that, he'd made excellent progress, and would likely move on to your water walking himself by the next training session.

Overall, Kakashi was extremely pleased with the quick progress made by his team.

"Kakashi!" came a familiar voice suddenly as Maito Gai, Kakashi's self-proclaimed 'eternal rival', appeared before the masked Jōnin. "I hear you have finally passed a most marvelous team of Genin. The power of you–"

_I wonder what jutsu I should teach Naruto next_, thought Kakashi idly. _Maybe I should test them for elemental affinities… nah, I'll wait till we've been on a few C-rank missions, give them some field experience. Then there's Naruto's proposal for training with __**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__… hmm…_

"–at do you say, Kakashi?"

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

Gai's face took on a look of despair as Kakashi stared at him in confusion. Gai started a rant on youth and Kakashi's 'coolness', prompting the Jōnin to walk away from the not-entirely-there-in-the-head Taijutsu master.

Kakashi arrived in front of his home a few minutes later to a curious sight. Why were so many of his copies of the Icha Icha series sitting on the ground, wrapped in explosive tags?

EXPLOSIVE TAGS?!

An explosion later, and Kakashi was lying flat on his back, a sheet of paper floating into his face. Before it landed, he managed to read what was written on it.

_Dear Kakashi-sensei,  
Maybe now you'll be on time to team meetings._  
—_Sincerely, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura._

Kakashi's next sentence was heard throughout Konoha.

"WHYYYYY?!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Naruto and Sakura were both laughing without restraint as their sensei's cry of despair echoed throughout the village.

"You're right Naruto-kun," said Sakura as tears formed in her eyes from laughing so hard. "That _was_ fun!"

"Told you so," said Naruto, laughter dying down to a chuckle. "Man, it's been so long since I pulled a prank, I forgot how much fun it could be. Hmm…"

"I don't like that look in your eyes."

"I wonder how everyone will take my next stunt…"

"Naruto…"

"No, I'm not asking you to help. I don't want you to get in trouble."

Sakura sighed, giving up on trying to talk Naruto out of this.

The two were quiet for a few moments, simply sitting, relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

"Hey, Sakura-san?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" she asked, turning to face his brilliant smile. Feeling her face heat up inexplicably, she thought about how much she hated the way his smile always made her blush.

"Now that Kakashi-sensei's been dealt with, let's get back to training. I also sent an invite to a few of the others to joins us."

* * *

Back with Kakashi, the weeping Jōnin finally took notice of something else on the note that had been left for him.

_PS: The Hokage left you that gift we were talking about during the survival test. We've got it right now. If you don't want us to burn it too, you'll pretend that we weren't training today against your orders._

Kakashi sighed.

"I'm really starting to hate that kid."

* * *

Training Ground 7 had changed from what it had originally been. Kakashi had apparently called in a favor, and had the terrain modified with a cliff, waterfall, taller trees, and a larger main clearing, reminiscent of where Naruto had spent his first week back training.

It was here that Naruto, Sakura and the people Naruto had invited joined them. This group consisted of Sasuke, Hinata and Ino. Shikamaru had declined as it was 'too troublesome', Chōji was getting an extra large lunch, and Kiba had apparently been too lazy. Shino had also declined, deciding to work on his own in the forest as he collected bugs. Sakura smiled as she saw Sasuke walk onto the field, but scowled when Ino joined them and let out a squeal before jumping on Sasuke's back.

"Uzumaki! You didn't tell me you'd invited a fangirl!"

Naruto chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'll solve your problem soon enough," he said mildly. Ino and Sakura both looked confused.

"So, you called a group training session?" asked Sasuke, smirking slightly. At the Academy, he'd had no doubt that Naruto was stronger than him, but he was confident that if someone who'd once been a deadlast could get this strong, he could become even stronger than that. In response to his question, Naruto nodded.

"One thing I learned long ago was the importance of working and training with others," said Naruto. "As well as the importance of teamwork. Teamwork, in turn, is founded on understanding the abilities of your teammates, how your abilities measure against theirs in what areas, and how best you can complement one another. No ninja can become a jack-of-all-trades without decades of experience, which is why teamwork is so important. There are some exceptions—I'm one, but to become an exception means you're generally going to need those decades of training in some areas."

"What makes you an exception?" asked Ino. Naruto shrugged.

"You remember how I was such a stamina freak years ago?" he asked. When he received the affirming nods, he continued. "Stamina is the foundation of your chakra reserves. The training I underwent over the last two years requires enormous stores of chakra. Only under certain circumstances, which must be applied early in one's life, can somebody have reserves like mine. There are some big prices to pay for such a gift though… and one of those is the curse that originally drove me from here." Everyone stared at Naruto curiously, but the blond shook his head and grinned at them.

"Well, let's keep things simple," he said. "I wonder how much the three of you have improved…"

Half an hour later saw all four of Naruto's training partners on the ground, handily defeated by the blond prodigy. Well, that wasn't quite true. Sasuke and Ino had both been effortless, while Sakura provided some challenge with her training in the Mirāken.

Hinata had proven truly difficult, though. While she was rather reluctant at the start, some encouragement from Naruto had gotten her into the spar, and while not a master of the Jūken, she was nonetheless a skilled practitioner of the Taijutsu style, which was the best possible match for the Mirāken and vice versa.

"You're good," admitted Sasuke from his place on the ground, waiting for the numbing effects of Naruto's strike to wear off. Naruto shrugged.

"The Mirāken is nearly as potent a style as the Jūken on which it's based," he said. "Unlike most Taijutsu styles, it attacks the opponent in ways that the body can't be trained against. I can take a considerable beating, internally and externally, but that's because one of my 'gifts' is accelerated healing, and because of my large chakra reserves and strong chakra coils, I'm naturally resistant to the Jūken. However, I have no such natural defense against the Mirāken, which doesn't aim to injure the body in any way."

"I can see the advantages in that," said Ino. "Care to teach me?"

Now, Naruto looked slightly annoyed. "You're family already has a Taijutsu style intended to work with your mind-based jutsu," he said. "You should learn that, instead of wasting time fangirling."

"Why you…!"

"Fangirls have no place in the real world," said Naruto. "Maybe you don't grasp this, but you're weak. Any real Genin could probably kill you as you are right now. All you have is the protection of your teammates to count on. But as important as teamwork is, individual abilities are important, so that you can pull your own weight. Do you understand?"

"What are you, my sensei?"

"Considering you gave me about as much challenge as I'd expect from a six-year-old… yes."

Now Ino was furious. Hinata wasn't certain how to react, while Sasuke and Sakura were amused.

"What would you know about all this?!" demanded Ino.

"After seeing my senseis slaughter legions of powerful shinobi over the course of two years, I'd say quite a bit," replied Naruto mildly. Silence filled the air.

"What did you say?" whispered Sakura, pulling herself up with what strength she could get into her numb body, the others doing the same, all staring at Naruto. The blond sighed, waving it off.

"It's nothing," he said. "I've seen the reality of what the shinobi world is like, and it's not pretty. Let's just leave it at that." Naruto's eyes focused on Ino. "Sakura-san, Sasuke-san and Hinata-san are all taking this seriously. It's time you did as well." Naruto drew a kunai and threw it so quickly no one could follow as it landed with a thunk a few inches from Ino's abdomen. "Or you _will_ get killed."

Gulping slightly, Ino nodded in understanding as feeling continued to return to her body. Sasuke was surprised that Naruto seemed to have gotten the truth through his fellow blonde's thick skull. Sakura and Hinata were bewildered by Naruto's behavior, as both knew him to be exceedingly kind, yet he'd just treated Ino rather coldly.

Although Naruto would never readily admit it, he hated what he'd just done. He cared a great deal for Ino—two years away and their position as Sasuke's top fangirls hadn't changed Naruto's feeling for either Sakura or Ino. It was for that same reason, though, that he had to drill this into her head… even if meant acting coldly and making her hate him.

Naruto sighed. "Years ago, I'd have gloated over being able to beat all four of you so easily," he said. "But I'm not the same idiot I was back then. Two years of seeing the real world and having a proper education beat into me has had an overall positive effect on me." Naruto eyed all four of them. "Titles, past achievements, clan names… it's all meaningless in the real world. These things will get you a moderate reputation, but that's all it is. You need the power, the skill, the intelligence, and the control to back up that reputation, or even exceed it. That's why I've never cared for such things."

Sasuke wanted to bite back against Naruto, but really, he couldn't. The blond had gotten his point across.

"I feel like a teacher here," said Naruto with another sigh, scratching the side of his head idly. Really, it was no wonder they had to do all these D-ranked missions—it was to give the individual senseis time to teach their students one-on-three rather than one-on-thirty or more.

"How did you really get this strong?" questioned Sasuke. Naruto grinned.

"Well, besides the earlier given prerequisites," said Naruto. "The most important part was my teachers. During your time at the Academy, you've had one sensei training about thirty or more ninja at a time, and only in the basics. Even now, it's still primarily one sensei to three students. I had two senseis with no other students for the last two years—though, admittedly, they had plenty of other stuff to distract them."

"Who were they?" asked Sakura curiously. Naruto had talked about his senseis on several occasions, but he'd never said much about them.

For the first time Sakura could remember, Naruto tensed.

"I… can't say," replied the blond after a moment. "It's not my place."

Sakura and Hinata both let it go. Ino was dying with curiosity, but kept her mouth shut. Sasuke was silent for a moment before speaking up.

"Why you?" he asked, pulling himself to his feet as the Mirāken wore off completely. "Why did your senseis choose you?"

Naruto paused in thought for a moment. Why had Mai and Itachi chosen him? Was it because of the Kyūbi? No… they'd said the Kyūbi wasn't really significant to their choice.

No, not _their_ choice. _Mai's_ choice. Naruto remembered when Itachi had told him that it was Mai who'd chosen to take him from the village and train him. But why him? They'd never explained that.

After a moment, Naruto simply shrugged. "I guess they thought I needed it the most," he said. "I failed the graduation exam twice and was still at the bottom of class. Maybe they pitied me."

That was a lie, and Naruto knew it. Fortunately, it was a lie that everyone bought.

"Well, in any case, let's continue," said Naruto, stretching slightly. "Taijutsu is pretty much out for now… all right, we'll do this the way I was taught." Naruto grinned. "You'd be amazed to find how effective a simple game of hide and seek promotes stealth and tracking skills. Let's get started."

* * *

After that day, group training sessions became somewhat of a common practice, and every Saturday, teams seven, eight and ten, along with their instructors, gathered at Training Ground 7, where they made a point of seeing how they could help one another's students.

Among them, though, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh in frustration. He'd worked with Sasuke on some light Taijutsu practice and found the boy to be quite skilled in his clan's style. He was also able to use **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu** twice without pushing himself too far, and was learning **Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**. Kakashi had leant him a hand in that. Sadly, Sasuke was the only one whom Kakashi could really offer serious help too.

Asuma, on the other hand, found himself thriving on working with Naruto and Shino. Although Naruto was very good with thrown weapons, he was only average with using them in close combat, and while Shino preferred to use his bugs to form weapons if he needed them, Naruto had convinced him that relying on them too much could be a weakness (not that doing so had been hard). Asuma, something of a specialist in the area of close combat with weapons (specifically his trench knives) had quite a bit of fun teaching them.

Likewise, Kurenai was able to thrive teaching the other's students, specifically Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. While Naruto and Sasuke weren't that great at Genjutsu, Kurenai's area of expertise, they were still able to learn a fair bit from her, Naruto more so than Sasuke, having learned rather painfully the value of Genjutsu. But it was Sakura who truly bloomed under Kurenai's Genjutsu tutelage, picking up what Kurenai had to teach her even faster than Naruto did.

"You know…" said Kakashi mildly, peaking over his book to watch the three-sided team spar going on right now. "This just isn't fair."

"I noticed that," commented Kurenai dryly. Team seven was tearing the other two teams apart—they benefited from this group training more than the other teams did. While Shikamaru was willing to learn some Genjutsu, the Nara genius was, for the most part, too lazy to bother, and Chōji didn't have much talent for it, while Naruto and Sasuke were decent in it, Shino wasn't well-complemented by it, and Sakura was formidable.

The same was true in regards to what Asuma could teach outside his team—Ino wasn't much of a close-combatant, while Kiba and Hinata were focused on Taijutsu rather than the use of ninja tools, in opposition to team seven, who made full use of them on all fronts.

And outside of Sasuke, the members of team eight and ten were focused on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu specific to their clans, so Kakashi wasn't able to teach them much either, though like Sasuke, he'd taught all of them **Hōsenka no Jutsu**, as it was a low-level Ninjutsu that didn't require very much chakra to perform and could serve a strong supplementary role in more than a few situations.

"It may not be fair, but it keeps down Sasuke and Kiba's egos," said Asuma mildly. "It'll also encourage teamwork for our teams, something I'd rather have drilled into their heads before they go on C-rank missions rather than during one."

"I guess there is that," said Kurenai. All three Jōnin winced when Naruto countered a mass **Hōsenka no Jutsu** directed his team's way with **Suiryūdan no Jutsu**. "How long did you say it took him to learn that?"

Kakashi blanched. "An hour," he muttered. "Though he cheated a bit with shadow clones, so it probably amounts to about five or six hours, which is still pretty impressive."

"I think we should stop this before someone gets killed," said Asuma, shaking his head. "Kakashi, have you considered C-rank missions yet?"

"Well, it's been three weeks," replied the cycloptean Jōnin mildly. "I was thinking I'd see how they handled Tora…"

The other two Jōnin flinched at the mention of the 'hell cat'.

* * *

"All right you three," said Kakashi, putting away his book as he faced his students at their training grounds. "Today, I'm gonna take this quite a bit more seriously."

"Kakashi-sensei… why are we training before missions?" asked Sakura. Kakashi chuckled.

"Actually, we're going to dedicate today to training," he said. "You've all progressed marvelously, and I think you're ready to handle a tougher mission, but I want to make sure you're absolutely prepared, which is why I'm taking this seriously. This will also give me a chance to gauge your chakra reserves and decide if I feel you're ready to learn **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. Now, just to be clear, I also want you to refrain from using any clone techniques today. Understood?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," replied all three.

"Good," said the Jōnin. "Now, here's how it's going to work. We're going to spar, the three of you against me, from the time I say 'start' until dusk. I'm gonna be coming at you almost like you were a real enemy, so be prepared, I won't be merciful today, and that means you _will_ get hurt. Nothing serious, but I want it understood that some wounds will be inflicted. If I declare you as unable to continue, I want you to return to the posts, rest and wait for us to finish. Everyone got it?"

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei," replied Shino.

"Clear as a bell," said Naruto, smiling lightly as he summoned a shadow clone to take his hat and cloak.

"We'll do our best, Kakashi-sensei," finished Sakura, though she shifted slightly, showing a bit of nervousness at the prospect of injury in a mere spar. Kakashi smiled, extremely proud of his students. Sakura had perfected water walking now, and Shino had mastered it, even if he wasn't at the point the other two were just yet. Their reserves had also gone up, and Kakashi figured that, depending on the C-rank mission they took, he'd teach them **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** in their spare time.

"All right team," said Kakashi, drawing a kunai. "Start!"

* * *

Hours later, all three Genin were lying on the ground, panting, exhausted, and sporting a few shallow injuries courtesy of their clearly deranged sensei, with the sensei in question standing several feet away, smiling down at them with evident cheerfulness.

It was a half hour to dusk.

"Well now, you actually did very well for yourselves," said the Jōnin cheerfully. Sakura groaned in response.

Even Naruto, who combined titanic chakra reserves with virtually perfect chakra control, had been worn down by the elite Jōnin. Sakura had been the first to fall after many hours of work, and Shino had followed less than an hour after. Naruto had lasted another two hours, but Kakashi had brought Shino and Sakura back in for the final hour, wearing them back out from their rest. A lot of time had been spent dancing around each other, but ultimately, years of experience gave Kakashi the edge needed to win.

Of course, the Jōnin would be the first to admit that, had he allowed them to use clones, he'd have been beaten.

Which was not to say that he hadn't nearly been beaten and worn to nothing on several occasions. Those kids were persistent—but once he dealt with the female Kikaichū, they just weren't good enough trackers to find someone as skilled at stealth as Kakashi without using clones, giving him plenty of opportunity for rest. His students had taken these chances as well, and while he hid it well, Kakashi couldn't have lasted much longer. He'd be in better condition if he hadn't worked to wear Naruto out as well. In an actual fight, Kakashi could kill Naruto without much threat being posed to him personally, though he'd have quite a bit of difficulty thanks to the blond's skill with **Kawarimi no Jutsu**. But in a direct spar, where the goal was merely bumps and bruises, Naruto would likely win because of his god-like endurance.

"Well, as I said, you all did well," said Kakashi. "And therefore, I see a C-rank mission in the near future… how near is something we'll find out in a few days, after you've all healed completely. In the meantime, though, how about we go get some ramen?"

Silence answered his inquiry at first. Then…

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Why ramen?"

"What? I thought you loved ramen," said Kakashi, confused. Naruto chuckled slightly.

"I do," he said. "It's just not what I would've expected."

"Well, we should indulge ourselves, right?" replied Kakashi, smiling as the Genin pulled themselves to their feet, groaning at their sore muscles. Even Shino couldn't maintain his usual calm attitude. "Anyways, I'm paying."

"I'll hold you to that," said Naruto, helping Sakura stand. "Oh, and Sakura-san? Please excuse my messy eating." Sakura looked confused. Why would Naruto eat messily after all this time of polite behavior? Seeing the look, Naruto whispered his next words to her. "Sensei is gonna pay for today… literally."

* * *

_Where does he put it all?_ thought Sakura, watching Naruto devour his twentieth bowl of ramen as Kakashi wept over the loss of his paycheck. Even now, Naruto tried to maintain some measure of politeness, even as he consumed ramen at a speed of two bowls per minute. Sakura had to admire that he could even maintain what he did, but she couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned back to her own ramen.

Sakura's thoughts drifted slightly. She wondered how Kakashi could've been stupid enough to offer to buy food, especially ramen, for Konoha's number one prankster. No one had ever been able to find actual proof, but everyone in the whole village knew that Naruto was responsible for the defacement of the Hokage Monument a week after Kakashi's Icha Icha collection was burned, as well as the one who'd cleaned it up by the next morning. The same held true for the ANBU Headquarters being painted bright, painful neon orange a week later, only to be repainted in its original dull colors by the next morning as well.

Sakura twitched slightly, thinking of that last one. Naruto was good, but how the hell did he manage to do all that right under the nose—in some cases, literally—of the entire village, including all those elite ANBU? And without ever leaving any hard evidence with which to accuse him. Heck, the blond even managed to have an alibi for each event!

It made _no sense_!

But then again, did anything ever truly make sense when it came to Uzumaki Naruto?

Sakura didn't think so. And she kind of liked that.

"Good to see you've got at least part of your appetite back, Naruto-kun," said Ayame, smiling at the blond as he proceeded to his twenty-second bowl.

"Part of it?" questioned Shino.

"A few years ago, Naruto would've been through at least ten more by this point," said Teuchi with a laugh. Sakura felt her jaw nearly hit the floor at that statement.

"Alright Naruto, that's enough! I really can't afford anymore!" said Kakashi fearfully upon hearing that statement. Naruto grinned as he finished up, turning to look at Sakura.

"Told ya I'd make him pay." Sakura couldn't help but giggle at his words.

* * *

A few days later, the radio receiver worn on Kakashi's ear crackled to life about mid-morning.

"_This is Naruto. I've reached point A._"

"_This is Shino. I'm at point B._"

"_Sakura here. I'm at point C._"

"Good," said Kakashi, idly wondering if they'd spot him from his hiding place. He was watching them, curious as to how they'd perform. "Distance to target?"

"_Five meters,_" replied Naruto. "_I'm ready at any time._"

"_I can move as soon as the order is given,_" said Shino.

"_Me too,_" added Sakura.

"Okay…" said Kakashi, lifting his headband to make sure he saw absolutely everything. He didn't think it would matter, but Naruto was on his team, and the boy consistently proved himself to be a surprising ninja—the most surprising the cycloptean Jōnin had ever met. "Go!"

In that instant, all three Genin moved in on their target from multiple directions.

The cat in question attempted to leap away, but bounced off an oddly padded wall that had materialized from nowhere. In the next instant, it was caught in the arms of team seven's kunoichi, who gently held and petted the cat, calming it down quickly. The relaxing Genjutsu she'd cast just before catching it probably helped.

"Does it have a ribbon on its right ear?" asked Kakashi redundantly as he pulled his hitai-ate back down over his left eye. "Is it the target, Tora?"

"_Yes sensei,_" said Sakura. "_Its definitely the target._"

"_Oh, and Kakashi-sensei?_" said Naruto."_The only reason that shadow clone that spotted you didn't knock you down is because we don't want to rile the cat up._" Kakashi chuckled lightly.

"I should've known," he said. "In any case, this mission was completed with little difficulty. Congratulations, I've heard that cat called a menace on more than one occasion."

A short while later, team seven stood in the office of the Hokage, watching with a measure of sympathy as Tora was crushed in the arms of an overly affectionate Madam Shijimi, the Fire Daimyo's wife.

_No wonder he ran away…_

"Now then, team seven, for your next mission, there's… hmm," murmured the Hokage, looking at the D-rank missions. "Babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping in the neighboring town, helping dig up potatoes…"

"No! Tora-chan!"

"And retrieving Tora again… our most common repeat." Hiruzen sighed.

"Actually, Hokage-sama," said Kakashi, watching along with his team in mild amusement as the cat displayed ninja-like skills in the speed of its disappearance. "I would like to request a C-rank mission for my team."

Needless to say, everyone present was surprised.

"What? Kakashi, are you crazy?" said Iruka. "They're only rookies, they're not ready for a C-rank mission!"

"Do you really want to test that?" replied Kakashi softly. As his team looked back at him in a questioning manner, he placed a hand on Naruto and Sakura's shoulders (Shino, he felt, somehow didn't seem appropriate). "Naruto, Sakura, Shino… I have faith in all three of them. These three were practically ready to take on C-rank missions from graduation. Their teamwork is superb, and in terms of practical skills, they're nearly the equals of Team Gai. Believe me, they _are_ ready for a more advanced mission."

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other before grinning at how certain Kakashi was of their abilities and readiness. Iruka didn't look convinced, but Hiruzen chuckled, looking at the C-rank mission scrolls.

"Well, if you believe their ready, then I'll take your word for it, Kakashi," he said, while Iruka looked at the Hokage in confusion as he picked up a scroll. "This is a simple escort mission that shouldn't be a problem even for rookies and isn't likely to see much action. Think of it as a trial run before you get sent on anything more serious."

"Hmm… Naruto, Sakura, Shino? What do you think?" asked Kakashi.

"This should serve as a good test of our readiness," answered Shino.

"We're ready for at least this much," added Sakura confidently.

"At this point, I'll accept anything to break the tedium of D-rank missions if only for a few days," said Naruto, fingering the edge of his cloak slightly. "Two years of having patience almost literally drilled into your head a thousand times over just doesn't teach you the patience for receiving those missions endlessly."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Send him in," he said.

The four turned to face the door as it slid open and an elderly man stepped in carrying a bottle of booze.

"What's this? They're all a bunch of kids!" he said. "They don't even look like a mild threat."

The four members of team seven shared a glance between them before Kakashi chuckled.

"You really shouldn't be saying that about a living hive, a one-man army, and a brilliant young woman who blew up a thirty foot wall," he said mildly. Sakura stifled a giggle, Hiruzen and Naruto both chuckled, Iruka shot Kakashi a questioning glance, Shino remained impassive, and the client blanched. He did not like the sound of that, especially the last one.

"All right, whatever," he said, trying to act nonchalant as he took another swig of booze. "I suppose you'd know best."

"Our sensei would," said Naruto. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. And you?"

"I am the super bridge builder Tazuna!" he replied. "I'll be expecting you to protect my life with your own once we return to my country, until I complete the bridge."

Kakashi nodded. "Alright you three, get all the necessary supplies and say any goodbyes you need to before we leave," he said. "Meet at the main gate in an hour."

"Hai!"

* * *

An hour later, Kakashi demonstrated that he could be on time, when it suited him, and team seven departed from the gates of Konoha with Tazuna.

"You know, this is my first time really leaving the village," commented Sakura about an hour out.

Tazuna glanced at Kakashi. "Do you mean to tell me that they don't even have any experience?"

"They have more than enough to fulfill a simple escort and protection mission of C-rank," replied Kakashi, reading his book as they walked down the road. "And Naruto, I'm sure, has a pretty good grip on these sorts of things."

Naruto nodded. "I never really took part in any missions," he said. "But my senseis occasionally provided unpaid escorts to people headed in the same general direction we were traveling."

"Unpaid?" asked Shino.

"They got most of their money from turning in bounties on nukenin," answered Naruto. Shino nodded, and Kakashi glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye. He'd been instructed not to ask questions regarding Naruto's teachers, but that didn't make him any less curious. After all, they'd brought Naruto further in a mere two years than most would've believed possible, and making a living off of nukenin bounties was no small feat.

"They must be really strong," commented Sakura. Naruto grinned.

"I've never met anyone stronger," he said.

"Mah, are you saying they're even stronger than Sandaime-sama?" said Kakashi lazily. Naruto chuckled, but didn't answer.

After that, they continued their journey in silence for several hours before Sakura spoke up with a question.

"Umm, Tazuna-san?" she said.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"You're from Nami no Kuni, right?" said Sakura.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked the bridge builder. Sakura turned her attention to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there also ninja in that country?" she asked curiously.

"No," said Kakashi. "Nami no Kuni has no ninja. But, in most other countries… the cultures and customs may be different, but hidden villages and ninja do exist."

At this point, Naruto picked up the explanation.

"There are many widely varied countries across the continent," he said. "To most, the presence of a hidden village and ninja force is the equivalent of military power. That's not to say the villages are ruled by the countries or vice versa, but rather, they stand on equal ground to the government—in other words, the Hokage is effectively equal in power to the Fire Daimyo."

Kakashi nodded. "For a small island country like Nami, where there is little interference from the larger countries, a hidden village isn't really needed," he continued. "And within the many hidden villages, Leaf, Mist, Cloud, Sand and Stone are especially large and powerful, leading to them and their countries to be known as The Five Great Shinobi Countries. And these are the only villages whose leaders may receive the title of kage."

"Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage…" said Naruto. "In other words, the five most powerful shinobi in the world who, above and beyond all others, rule over the tens of thousands of ninja throughout all countries, whether through alliances or simply superior position leaving other countries beneath their level. It sounds grim and harsh, but that's the reality of our world."

"So… Hokage-sama is one of the most powerful people in the world?" questioned Sakura. Naruto and Kakashi chuckled before the blond decided to supply an answer.

"No… although there are some who, as shinobi, are stronger than him, the truth is that, in the grand scheme of things, he is the most powerful person alive," said Naruto. "Hi no Kuni has held overall dominion over the entire continent since the end of the Third Ninja World War."

"The Yellow Flash?" inquired Shino. Kakashi nodded.

"Well, enough about history," he said. "In any event, this is only a C-rank mission, so there won't be any ninja combat."

"Then we won't come into contact with foreign ninja?" asked Sakura.

"Of course not," said Kakashi. Tazuna shifted slightly at this, but if anyone noticed, they didn't pay it any mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: We all knew this was coming. With Kakashi as their J****ōnin instructor, it only seems proper that they should be given the Wave Mission. Unlike in canon, it is Kakashi who requests a higher-ranked mission, rather than Naruto or anyone else complaining about D-rank missions.**

**Besides that, we get a lengthy look at quite a few other things. First off, group training that has helped all three teams, though as was noted, team seven benefits from this the most. Also, Kakashi teaching them tree and water walking so far ahead of the canon is because of Naruto****—****basically, he wants to get Sakura and Shino at least somewhat caught up so that they don't need to rely on him. I also believe that Kakashi not teaching them until the Wave mission is likely because they were taking a large number of missions and he was trying to get them to work as a team. But that's only a personal belief.**

**Naruto has a lengthy talk with Sakura, Sasuke, Ino and Hinata regarding his own beliefs and his own understanding of power. One of the more interesting things about it is that while it somewhat discourages Sasuke from going to Orochimaru, it also encourages him to do so. We also get the return of our favorite part-kitsune prankster. For the record, the painting of the ANBU HQ neon orange was inspired by the fanfic _One Man Army_ by Wyrd Darcnyzz, in which Iruka states that Naruto was responsible for that particular prank.**

**I also demonstrate that, while Naruto can seriously push even Kakashi by using all the handy little stunts he's got hidden up his sleeves, he still isn't a match for him, even with Shino and Sakura there to help. Admittedly, Naruto is capable of overwhelming Kakashi through shadow clones, but that's because of his god-like stamina, not because Naruto is better than Kakashi. Even with the shadow clones, though, if Kakashi were being really serious and wanted to kill Naruto, he could do so, with the primary difficulty being drawn from Naruto's talent with the god-like Kawarimi no Jutsu.**

**Anyways, the Wave mission will play out a fair bit differently from canon, with things stacked quite a bit more in team seven's favor. As for whether or not Zabuza or Haku survive... that I really am not sure about at all. More than likely, Zabuza will die and Haku will be captured. My only qualm about this is that Kakashi would be killing Zabuza with the Raikiri, and honestly, that takes away from the absolutely awesome scene of Zabuza killing Gatou, one of my favorites in the early anime. Besides Zabuza and Haku, though, the week up to the battle on the bridge will probably feature Naruto teaching Sakura and Shino the shadow clone technique. Admittedly, Naruto learned it in only a few hours, but we're talking about the same kid who ****in just a few weeks ****mastered (after a fashion) a technique that it took the Yondaime Hokage _three years_ to develop, and anyone who learned it probably took at least six months to do so themselves.**

**Alright, I think that's enough talk. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, if I get enough "one-line" reviews (I.E. "awesome" "good job, update soon", etc.), I may delay my next post, and I assure you, I'll inform all readers of just who left those reviews. As I've previously stated, what I want are thoughtful reviews giving me an opinion on what was good, bad, etc., rather than just saying that you liked it.**

**Also, before I go, there is a "jutsu listing" below, just so we're clear on what techniques each character knows. In the future, I will try to post small details on the custom jutsu that appear in the story, and probably character profiles in the fashion of Dragon6's _Mizukage_, which will provide clues on Mai's past and include other little details here and there for various characters. Most of the Genin probably won't recieve profiles until Shipuuden, while Sakura and Shino will probably recieve them around the end of the Chuunin Exams Arc. At this particular moment, Naruto and Mai are the only characters who I've planned profile details for.**

**Also, note that Shino has fewer jutsu than Naruto and Sakura. This is because his primary strength, his bugs, are much more versatile to begin with, providing a sort of "natural jutsu", so he doesn't need jutsu nearly as much as Naruto and Sakura do.**

**Ja ne!**

* * *

**Naruto:**  
**Bunshin Daibakuha** (Clone Great Explosion) A-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, developed and taught by Uchiha Itachi  
**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) A-rank Supplementary Kinjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique) B-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Katon: Karyūendan** (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kaze Bunshin no Jutsu** (Wind Clone Technique) B-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique) C-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** (Water Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu** (Earth Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Mirāken** (Mirror Fist) Elite Taijutsu Style, developed and taught by Kazekaika Mai

**Sakura:**  
**Magen: Jubaku Satsu** (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death) B-rank Genjutsu, taught by Yūhi Kurenai  
**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu** (Cherry Blossom Blizzard Technique) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu using ninja tools, self-developed  
**Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu** (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique) C-rank Genjutsu, taught by Yūhi Kurenai  
**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** (Water Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Uzumaki Naruto  
**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu** (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique) D-rank Genjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Mirāken** (Mirror Fist) Elite Taijutsu Style, taught by Uzumaki Naruto

**Shino:**  
**Kikai Bunshin no Jutsu** (Insect Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Hiden Jutsu  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kikaichū no Jutsu** (Destruction Bug Host Technique) Unranked Offensive, Defensive and Supplementary Hiden Jutsu


	6. Into the Mist

**To start: yes, I know saying "I'm late" would be an understatement. My focus has primary been on my _Gundam SEED _fanfics, and life has a way of catching up with you as well. Apologies won't be enough, and I can't even promise to be more regular in my updating; sometimes, it's just hard to write a chapter and I get easily distracted. I can get whimsical that way.**

**That being said, I'd like to warn everyone in advance that a lot of what you're seeing in canon will get discarded. Admittedly, _Naruto_ was never necessarily very loyal to the true idea of ninja as stealthy warriors, but lately it's gotten to the point that I can't help but compare it to the likes of DBZ. That being said, I'm using parts of canon and discarding others, however I may feel works best for the story overall.**

**I again apologize for never updating this story; it's really a shame, because I have all sorts of ideas for it, but the Wave arc is likely to seriously kill me on this, because most of my ideas relate to the Chuunin Exams and later. I'll try to be better, but it's probably gonna be slow until the Wave arc is over. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters.**

* * *

Hiruzen looked up as the door of his office opened and team ten stepped through.

"Here for a mission?" he asked mildly, sifting through the D-rank scrolls. Asuma nodded.

"They've been pretty insistent on getting a C-rank, but we're gonna wait one more week," he said. "I'll see how they perform during the team spar this Saturday."

Hiruzen chuckled. He was well aware of the group training, but obviously, Asuma had no idea that team seven would be gone for at least five days. The Hokage decided not to enlighten his son.

"Well, in that case…" said Hiruzen, smirking as he casually picked up a D-rank mission scroll. "There's a certain cat that got loose soon after it was first caught…"

* * *

Sufficed to say, the mission was proving sufficiently dull so far, to the point that Kakashi had decided to go ahead and pull out his signature orange book of smut, much to a certain rosette's annoyance.

Naruto suppressed a yawn as the group walked past a puddle in the middle of the road, pulling out a scroll to study as Kakashi fell behind the group a little.

They'd barely gone twenty feet before two figures emerged from the puddle, both wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors, one with a large horn in the middle of the hitai-ate, the other with two slightly smaller horns on the sides, and both wearing masks over their mouths and noses.

The one with a single horn gripped the other and threw him through the air at the Konoha nin.

The sound of a chain whistled through the air, and before team seven could react, the two enemy nin had Kakashi wrapped up in a sharp chain running between their gauntlets. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, and the two pulled on the chain, shredding the jōnin to a bloody mess.

"That's one," whispered one of the nin as they rushed towards the back of the group: Naruto.

However, unlike Sakura and Shino, who were both momentarily stunned by the apparently gruesome death of their sensei, Naruto didn't hesitate for a second, having witnessed far worse and understanding that any hesitation would mean death.

As the chain wrapped around the blond, he smirked, and the shadow clone suddenly exploded, destroying the chain and knocking both his assailants back.

"What?" gasped the one-horn. Sakura and Shino shook off their stupor, and rushed into action, Shino creating a pair of **Kikai Bunshin** while Sakura drew a pair of kunai, one with an exploding tag, and stepped between the shocked Tazuna and the enemy.

The rosette threw one of the kunai towards the nin closest to her, the one with a single horn, setting the exploding tag on it. Seeing what was about to happen, he leapt back as the tag detonated; fortunately for him, in order to avoid hurting Tazuna, Sakura had used a regular exploding tag instead of one of her custom ones.

Meanwhile, Shino rushed towards the two-horn along with his clones, quickly surrounding the other nin as Kikaichū swarmed from his sleeves. Two-horn scowled, and swung his gauntlet at one of the two Shinos rushing him, only for him to break down into Kikaichū that swarmed over the gauntlet and began seeking openings in the clothes of the wide-eyed nin.

One-horn, realizing the situation was turning quickly, rushed towards Tazuna. He had to finish this, now!

However, at that instant, Kakashi reappeared, completely unscathed, his arm wrapping around the neck of the nin, whose momentum continued propelling the rest of him forward, cracking his neck against the jōnin's arm and effectively incapacitating him. Two-horn was dealt with just as swiftly, Shino's Kikaichū driving him straight back into one of Naruto's exploding clones.

Naruto dropped out of the trees, smirking as Kakashi caught the second nin. Tazuna and the two enemies were the only ones truly surprised that Kakashi had survived—after all, anyone working with Naruto long-term got used to the extensive use of **Kawarimi no Jutsu**.

"You did well," said Kakashi, carrying the two over to a tree, where he quickly tied them up.

"What happened?" asked Tazuna.

"These two are Chūnin-class ninja from Kirigakure," explained Kakashi. "Their shinobi are known to keep fighting no matter the cost."

"How were you able to detect our action?" demanded One-horn.

"It's sunny and hasn't rained for the past few days," said Kakashi. "Under those conditions, a puddle of water isn't going to exist in the middle of the road. Even if all my students are geniuses, that's hardly required for even a Genin to notice that."

"If you knew that, why'd you let the brats fight?" asked Tazuna. Kakashi's eye shifted to Tazuna, and Naruto turned to face the bridge builder as well, though he kept one eye on the Kiri nukenin.

"If I wanted to, I could've killed these two instantly," answered Kakashi. "But… I needed to know who these two were after."

Tazuna shifted nervously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"In other words, were they after you, or someone on my team?" he said. "We haven't heard anything about any shinobi targeting you. Our mission was simply to protect you from armed groups, thieves and gangs." His eye narrowed dangerously. "This mission is at least a B-rank now. This was supposed to be a simple protection mission until you completed the bridge. If it were known people like the Demon Brothers would be after you, it would have been set with those more expensive parameters. I'm sure you had a reason, but it complicates things when you lie about the mission." Tazuna was silent, looking away. "We're now operating outside our duties."

"That doesn't matter," said Naruto, drawing attention to himself. "We've accepted this mission. It's now our job to finish it. Even if Tazuna-san was aware of the enemies we'd be facing beforehand, it doesn't change that fact. And not all missions will stay within the original parameters. It's not unheard of for a simple C or B-rank mission to become considerably more difficult."

"No… it isn't," agreed Kakashi. Naruto had a fair point, but even still… the cycloptean Jōnin glanced at the Demon Brothers.

_They're a lot stronger than any of us have given them credit for_, he thought. _Sakura and Shino only hesitated for a second, and Naruto didn't hesitate at all. And even if being on the run for years has caused their skills to dull somewhat, for those two to be defeated so easily… even if I hadn't intervened, I think Sakura could've held him off long enough for Naruto or Shino to help. But are they really ready for this?_

"Kakashi-sensei…" said Tazuna. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

* * *

"Kurenai-sensei?" said Ino as team eight was about to begin their training for the day.

"Hmm?"

"What do you know about Naruto?"

Everyone else paused for a moment, while Kurenai eyed Ino uncertainly.

"Why do you ask?" she replied. Ino shifted slightly.

"Two years ago, he was just a troublemaker who nobody seemed to like," said the blonde. "Short, loud, obnoxious… not being liked was often the best treatment he got."

"Hey, that's not true!" objected Kiba. "I got along with him pretty well. So did Chōji and Shikamaru."

"You didn't know him very long and the four of you spent most of your time in detention for causing trouble," retorted Ino. Kurenai sighed.

"I can't tell you very much about Naruto-kun," said the red-eyed Jōnin. "The only people who know where he disappeared to for two years are Hokage-sama and Naruto-kun himself. About all I can tell you is that he is an orphan, extremely kind-hearted, and a fine example of what a Konoha nin should be."

"He better be, after his performance at the graduation exam," said Kiba, who glanced curiously at his last teammate. Hinata had been very quiet ever since Ino first asked about Naruto.

"That's not it," said Kurenai, shaking her head. "Kakashi told me that he feels Naruto-kun has the attitude of a true ninja. He claims that Naruto-kun has a gift that has already begun to manifest itself. Kakashi feels that he can inspire others to better themselves, grow stronger, and never give up under even the most strenuous of circumstances. He says that Naruto-kun has already had a significant positive effect on both of his teammates, and he thinks this gift will grow stronger as time passes."

"Y-yes," stuttered Hinata. "N-Naruto-kun has always b-been like that." Kurenai smiled at Hinata. The shy Hyūga heiress had been the only one to recognize that special quality of Naruto before he left, and that was likely the source of the young girl's crush on the once-hyperactive blond.

"Well, I think I've answered your question," said Kurenai. "Let's get back to training."

* * *

Team seven was on high alert as they walked from the shores of Nami to Tazuna's residence.

It had been explained to them by the bridge builder that Nami was currently poor, _very_ poor. In fact, it had taken virtually all the resources Tazuna could scrounge together just to pay for the C-rank mission, to say nothing of the B-rank mission it should've been at the minimum.

The cause was a man named Gatō, a shipping magnate who'd seized complete control over Nami, its shipping routes and entire industry, driving the nation into poverty. Tazuna's bridge was a threat to Gatō, as it would break his monopoly on Nami's resources.

After giving his explanation, Tazuna tried to guilt the ninja into helping, but it had made no real difference. Gatō was the sort of scum Naruto would have no qualms with killing, and although it was well hidden, even stoic Shino sympathized greatly with Nami's plight.

Suddenly, Naruto grabbed a kunai and threw it into some bushes, catching everyone else, even Kakashi, off-guard.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he stared into the bushes. Over the course of his life, he'd developed an incredibly acute danger sense, and both Itachi and Mai had encouraged him to trust it.

"Naruto-kun?" whispered Sakura. Naruto walked forward, pushing aside the bushes slightly, Kakashi right behind him.

There, cowering next to the thrown kunai was a white rabbit. While Sakura and Tazuna both brushed it off as Naruto being overly paranoid, the blond in question, as well as Kakashi and Shino, knew something was wrong. For one, the snow rabbit's fur shouldn't be white, since it wasn't winter. Shino, less knowledgeable then the other two in that particular department, still had little difficulty detecting the small bit of chakra left over from the use of **Kawarimi no Jutsu**.

In the trees, the group was observed by a single figure, his cold eyes focusing on the masked Jōnin. Beneath the bandages covering the lower half of his face, his lips twisted into a smirk.

"No wonder the Demon Brothers failed," he whispered to himself. "I never would've expected him to be here." He reached up and gripped the handle of the massive sword, Kubikiribōchō, strapped to his back. Grinning, he straightened, hefting the sword as though it weighed no more than a feather, and threw it like a boomerang towards Tazuna and his bodyguards.

"Everyone, get down!" shouted Kakashi, hearing the whistling sound practically before the sword had left its owner's hands. He pulled Tazuna to the ground as Shino dropped himself, and Naruto grabbed Sakura, pulling her to the ground as well, just as the massive sword sliced through the air where the five of them had just been mere seconds ago, continuing on to embed itself halfway through the trunk of a tree next to the water. In a blur of motion, a tall muscular figure appeared on top of the handle, his back to them and face turned so he could train one eye on the group as they stood back up.

Naruto's eyes widened, recognizing the man.

"Momochi Zabuza…" he whispered in shock. Sakura glanced at him in surprise, while Kakashi's eye narrowed.

Itachi and Mai had told Naruto about the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū after they'd casually mentioned Mai's confrontation with the strongest of the swordsman, Hoshigaki Kisame. Momochi Zabuza was one former member of that dangerous group. Perhaps nowhere near as dangerous as Kisame had been, but still a nukenin of high A-class to low S-class level, which was about the same level most villages measured Kakashi at. Regardless, he was far more than Naruto, Sakura and Shino could hope to handle.

"Hehehe…" Zabuza looked rather amused about something. "So even a little baby can recognize me?"

There was a very brief flash of anger at the insult, but Naruto clamped down on it instantly. Emotional self-control was another of those things Itachi and Mai had pounded into his head.

"Still," continued Zabuza. "I didn't expect Sharingan no Kakashi to be here."

"Sharingan?" questioned Sakura softly.

"We'll tell you later," whispered Naruto, shaking off his own concern. He quickly ran over their potential options; although fairly certain they couldn't do anything but let Kakashi handle it, being prepared was another thing that had been drilled into his head.

If something did happen to Kakashi, then there were only two real hopes for them: Shino's insects, which had at best a slim chance of success, or Naruto's 'secret weapons', but he'd promised Mai he wouldn't use any of those until the Chūnin Exams, so he put them aside as a last resort.

He only knew Zabuza by reputation; Naruto didn't know enough to formulate an effective strategy, meaning he would have to improvise if it came to that. That didn't mean he couldn't get a head start, though. Focusing himself carefully, Naruto combined **Kage Bunshin** and **Henge** to create four clones in the form of flies.

Zabuza, meanwhile, also calculated the odds; Kakashi was one of the most feared and powerful men in the world. The Demon of the Hidden Mist may have been on a similar level, but he wasn't certain he could actually win in a fight, as his opponent would no doubt read Zabuza better than Zabuza would read him.

However, Kakashi was looking after Genin, and the state of the town was such that Tazuna couldn't have afforded a high-level mission like one would expect to face shinobi on. Perhaps this could be settled without a fight?

"I'm here for the old man," said Zabuza. "If you'll just hand him over, I'll be on my way, and the brats won't have to get hurt."

Not to say Zabuza wasn't always ready for a fight, and killing brought a unique thrill to him. But he had a mission of his own, and while risks were a part of the business, facing Kakashi was a particularly big one, and if not necessary, then Zabuza did not want to deal with it.

Still, a part of him hoped Kakashi wouldn't back down.

On the ground, Kakashi's eye narrowed at Zabuza's unsubtle threat, hand rising to his hitai-ate. Like Naruto, he was quickly calculating the odds, and had come to the same basic conclusion.

He was reluctant to use his Sharingan, as he did not like to rely on it and it was extremely draining on his chakra reserves, the reason he could only use Chidori four times a day. However, against Zabuza, and with his students here…

Naruto shifted slightly; it was so subtle that even the most experienced ninja would've thought nothing of it, normally… but Kakashi knew Naruto, probably better than anyone but his mysterious senseis right now.

A small smirk formed behind Kakashi's mask as his hand lowered. Zabuza's bandage mask did nothing to hide his surprise.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Momochi Zabuza," said Kakashi easily. "You see, even if you weren't a raging, psychopathic, mass-murdering criminal who's lived far longer than he ever should've been allowed, this is my students' first major mission, and I'd like it on record that they did well."

Zabuza stared wide-eyed before a grin formed beneath his own mask, eyes widening with insanity rather than shock now.

"Interesting… and more fun for me, I think," he said.

"Naruto, Shino, Sakura, protect Tazuna-san," ordered Kakashi, drawing a kunai. His students quickly formed a triangle around their client, who was shaking with fear already.

"Naruto-kun, what are they talking about?" questioned Sakura uncertainly, grip tightening on her own kunai.

"Momochi Zabuza was one of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū," explained Naruto softly. "Not the strongest by a long shot, but they're an elite group made up of only the strongest ninja of Kirigakure, often nearly on par with the Mizukage."

Zabuza was surprised that a kid knew that kind of information. He wasn't offended that Naruto had said he was far from being the strongest, because Zabuza knew the blond was simply being honest.

"Kiri has been by far the most brutal of the major ninja villages," continued Naruto. "It's been that way ever since the Second Mizukage seized power."

"That's right," interjected Zabuza, sounding bored. "By the time we become Genin, all ninja of our village have stained their hands with blood."

"What?" gasped Sakura.

"The Kiri graduation exam pits fellow students against one another," said Kakashi. "Friends, rivals, enemies, teammates… it doesn't matter. But these aren't simple spars; they're battles to the death." Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

"That 'tradition' ended years ago," said Naruto. "After one student who hadn't actually graduated slaughtered the entire graduating class single-handed. He's been known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist ever since." Even Shino's eyes widened slightly in shock, and Tazuna was shaking enough that no one would've been surprised to hear bones rattling.

"Hehehehe… that was fun!" cried Zabuza, eyes wide with insanity. "These introductions have been interesting, but no more wasting time!"

Zabuza and his sword disappeared suddenly, drawing gasps of shock from Sakura, Shino and Tazuna, none of whom had ever seen anyone move so fast. Kakashi and Naruto were used to it (actually, it seemed almost slow to Naruto even though he couldn't track it, but considering how fast Itachi and Mai were, that wasn't surprising).

Of course, Zabuza wasn't trying to hide just yet, so it only took a second to find him, standing in the water, left arm raised over his head, right hand forming some kind of half seal in front of his face. Naruto frowned, not recognizing the stance at all.

"**Kirigakure no Jutsu**," intoned Zabuza.

_Oh shit_, was the only thing Naruto could think in response to that.

As the thick mist formed, Naruto sensed Tazuna and his teammates started to tremble. Shino, no matter how stoic, was still an inexperienced kid in the end, and Tazuna was just an old bridge builder.

Knowing he wouldn't see Zabuza in this mist until it was too late anyways, Naruto glanced at the others. To his surprise, Sakura was actually trembling the least, but he also realized she was edging slightly closer to him, probably without even realizing it. Kakashi's stance told Naruto that he was ready to move in an instant.

Then, a cold feeling began to fill the pit of Naruto's stomach. Raw killing intent… the purview of psychopathic murderers, skilled assassins, blind monsters, and people like Itachi and Mai who could practically kill with a look. The killing intent most ninja knew was actually more of a minor Genjutsu than anything.

This killer intent was no trick though. Kakashi and Naruto had felt worse, but the others might wet themselves if it got much more intense.

"I like the blond brat, Kakashi," came Zabuza's voice, echoing all around them. "You've got serious guts kid."

"Coming from a lunatic, I don't consider that much of a compliment," said Naruto.

Zabuza actually laughed. "Fair enough… but I wonder… how will the other brats handle it?"

At that instant, Zabuza appeared right behind Tazuna, between the three Genin, sword already beginning its swing.

* * *

Sasuke's blood was burning; he was absolutely _livid_, and had his teammates been just about anyone else, they wouldn't have blamed him. Even with Chōji making noise to scare the cat in the right direction, Sasuke's ability to track it, and Shikamaru's ability to freeze it in place, catching Tora had been hard.

However, Shikamaru was too lazy to be annoyed, and Chōji cheered himself up easily with his bags of potato chips. Somehow, Sasuke just knew that Chōji had researched storage scrolls early in order to carry more of the things around.

"I'm gonna have to ask Naruto if he has any ideas for dealing with that thing," groaned Sasuke as Madam Shijimi left, managing to keep hold of Tora this time. Hiruzen chuckled.

"You may have to wait sometime," he said as team eight entered to turn in their second mission of the day and pick up another.

"Hmm?"

"Team seven is on a long-term mission to Nami," said Hiruzen. Asuma and Kurenai both froze, staring wide-eyed at the Hokage, not really believing what they were hearing. "They'll be gone for at least a week."

Sasuke twitched; aside from the obvious part where the team training wouldn't work out as well, with Naruto gone, Ino's attentions would refocus on Sasuke (Sakura hardly bothered him anymore anyways), Shikamaru would rope Sasuke into shogi and Kiba would get out of hand more easily. On the bright side, Hinata would probably be less prone to fainting spells, though that was a general concern with no effect on Sasuke personally, and Chōji wouldn't be a problem.

But there was no upside to this for Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama…" Asuma's voice reflected his disbelief. "You gave them a C-rank mission?" He still hadn't expected this for a few more days.

"A simple escort and bodyguard mission," said Hiruzen dismissively, picking up the D-rank mission scrolls. "Nothing they can't handle without blinking. Small-time thugs and the like. I won't worry until I hear they're up against enemy nins."

* * *

No one had even had the chance to scream before Kakashi intercepted Kubikiribōchō with the kunai in his right hand while the one in his left dug into Zabuza's chest.

_F-fast…_ thought Sakura and Tazuna in disbelief. However, rather than blood, it was water coming from the hole in Zabuza's chest, alerting all four ninja to the water clone's true nature as it dissolved.

"Perhaps your reputation isn't _completely_ overblown, Kakashi," came Zabuza's voice, continuing to echo. "But now you have to make a choice."

At that instant, four more Zabuzas appeared, one attacking Tazuna and the other three attacking one student each. To Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi didn't attempt to defend any of them, instead rushing out of the circle.

Zabuza did not believe Kakashi was really cowardly enough for that, so he was only partially caught off-guard when all four people his clones struck suddenly exploded.

_What was that?_ he wondered. Obviously, Kakashi had swapped his students and Tazuna out for clones of some sort, but what was with the explosions?

"Trying to hide them, Kakashi?" mocked Zabuza. However, knowing trying to be quiet in this situation was hopeless, the four had simply been moved a little away from the explosions. Kakashi chuckled as he resumed his guard position.

"I think I was kind of hoping the real you was involved," he said, slipping closer to Sakura and holding out a hand to her. Understanding immediately what Kakashi wanted, the rosette pulled out a trio of her custom exploding tags and placed them in her sensei's hand.

"What? Not smart enough to bring your own explosive tags?"

Kakashi's only response was a smirk that went unnoticed beneath his mask as he attached the exploding tag to a kunai, sending a distinct look Naruto's way, disguising it as a visual search for Zabuza. Naruto, currently hyperaware, took only a few seconds to piece together what Kakashi probably wanted, and created several more disguised clones to replace the ones he'd sacrificed against Zabuza's earlier attack on the group.

Zabuza eyed the group uncertainly. Three of them were just children, so the current lack of fear was definitely wrong. The girl and the boy with the sunglasses had stopped shaking altogether; it didn't seem to be that they weren't afraid anymore so much as there seemed to be a certainty about them, such that the fear no longer affected them. Tazuna was still shaking in terror, but seemed to realize the best thing to do was to shut up and listen to whatever he was told to do.

Realizing going after them again while Kakashi was still alive would be futile, the Kiri nukenin turned his attention back to the Sharingan wielder.

Deciding to get a bit more serious, Zabuza silently approached Kakashi from behind, gripping Kubikiribōchō.

He swung, full speed at the Jōnin's back… only to have his sword intercepted by a pair of kunai. Kakashi hadn't even turned around, arms stretched over his head instead. Zabuza immediately leapt back, disappearing back into the mist.

"Impressive, Kakashi."

This time, Zabuza could tell Kakashi was smirking.

"My normal sparring partner is a Taijutsu master," he said. "You'd be amazed what that sort of thing can do for you."

Zabuza didn't respond.

Minutes passed without any more action. The Konoha nin were all on guard, unable to determine exactly where Zabuza would strike next. Naruto's disguised clones were all in position, ready to sacrifice themselves in a substitution if necessary.

Suddenly, Zabuza struck again, swinging his sword in a horizontal slash at Kakashi's abdomen. The Jōnin caught it, but the force of the blow was enough to send him back several feet as Zabuza again faded into the mist.

Kakashi let out a small sigh. This could last awhile…

When Zabuza reappeared, this time coming from Kakashi's right, he was suddenly met by three more Kakashis.

"I don't need the Sharingan to copy your techniques, Zabuza," said Kakashi calmly, turning around to face the nukenin. "You're not the first person I've fought who uses water clones. Even without that, such techniques are fairly commonplace in Konoha, thanks to the Nidaime Hokage."

"Of course," muttered Zabuza as he leapt back and vanished once more into the mist. Kakashi decided, right then and there, for the seventh or so time in his life… that he really hated this technique.

However, he did have a plan. Several, actually. He just needed to wait for the right opportunity…

As the minutes passed, Kakashi put away one of the kunai, keeping hold of the one with the explosive tag, idly twisting it in his hand, seeming almost nervous.

Again, Zabuza appeared suddenly from the mist. Again, Kakashi deflected the attack from Kubikiribōchō and tried to counterattack, only for his opponent to dodge back and fade into the mist.

This repeated several times. Tazuna could feel sweat building on his brow. Sakura was fidgeting uncertainly, wondering what would happen next. Naruto and Shino both remained calm, trying to keep calculating the situation. Kakashi remained expressionless, hardly moving other than that twisting of the kunai. A few insects flew silently through the mist, and more moved unnoticed along the ground.

Sakura almost wanted to call Zabuza a coward for hiding in the mist like this. However, she remembered everything she kept hearing about being a ninja from Kakashi, Naruto and sometimes even Shino, as well as all that she had studied. Plainly, all that told her that whether or not Zabuza was actually a coward was a moot point: his strategy was _damn_ effective psychologically and it was keeping him safe to ensure he succeeded in his mission.

Then, Zabuza suddenly appeared before Kakashi, going for a frontal assault. The masked jōnin reacted immediately, turning the massive blade with his kunai before pulling it into a reverse grip slash, twisting his body slightly as he did so, left arm outstretched to balance himself. Zabuza leapt back again, but this time, Kakashi twisted his body in reverse and threw the kunai, activating the tag attached to it. Zabuza dodged and vanished just before the tag went off.

_Wait…_ Sakura blinked. That was a standard explosion. Had she accidentally handed Kakashi the wrong tag? Naruto and Shino were thinking the same thing.

_BOOM!_

… apparently not. This then begged the following questions: when the hell did Kakashi swap Sakura's custom tag for a standard one, where did he hide the custom one, and when did he attach it to Zabuza?

"Mother fucker!" roared Zabuza from the explosion, quite uncharacteristically, but it was a fairly natural reaction to his situation, if not necessary a smart one (which he realized even as the words left his lips). The mist had cleared somewhat.

"Shino!" shouted Kakashi. Immediately understanding, the Aburame sent his kikaichu towards the second, larger explosion. The swarm had just reached the smoking figure and barely touched him before he disappeared.

"I'm… impressed," echoed Zabuza's panting voice. "That _hurt_ you know." Kakashi smirked, his eye briefly moving to Shino, who nodded ever so slightly.

"Yes, well… you can blame Sakura for that one," said the cycloptean jōnin cheerfully. "Now then, I'm afraid it's over."

"What makes you so certain of that? The first hit is yours. It won't happen again."

"Ah, but you see Zabuza… I've found you."

"Wha–?"

At that instant, Shino's entire kikaichu swarm suddenly began homing in on Zabuza, Kakashi tracking them as they made their movements obvious. Zabuza cursed, clearly confused as to how this had happened. Kakashi didn't wait, beginning his jutsu immediately, finishing the dozens of seals in the blink of an eye.

"**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**!" cried Kakashi. The serpentine water dragon formed instantly, and followed after the kikaichu swarm.

"Damn!" cursed Zabuza. "**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**!"

The second dragon formed and wrapped itself around the first one, preparing to crush it to halt Kakashi's attack.

"Naruto, now!" shouted Kakashi. The blond genin nodded before he and the others suddenly vanished. In that instant, Kakashi threw out his next jutsu.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu**!" shouted Kakashi. This time, Zabuza didn't have the chance to react, as the kikaichu attempted to swarm him and Kakashi's water dragon blasted off a few spheres of compressed water before Zabuza's destroyed it.

The wave slammed into Zabuza even as the kikaichu fled, though none would manage to escape. The nukenin was slammed into a large tree, one of the few not washed away by Kakashi's jutsu. Dozens of kunai flew through the air and pierced Zabuza's arms, legs and torso, with a few more that pinned him to the tree before Kakashi appeared in front of him, along with Tazuna and the three genin, all of them completely unharmed.

"H-how?" gasped Zabuza.

"Shino's bugs could smell you. That's all you need to know," said Kakashi. "If any of you don't want to see this, look away now."

Sakura almost listened to him. However, she forced herself to watch, reminding herself again that this was reality.

Kakashi lifted another kunai into the air… then needles suddenly flew through the air and pierced Zabuza's neck. It was so shocking that everyone froze, before turning their attention to a light chuckling to the side.

"Sorry if you wanted that for yourself, Hatake-san," said the newcomer. "I've been tracking this one for some time now and couldn't resist the chance to finish him myself."

The figure seen through the mist appeared to be a young man in brown robes custom made for use in battle. Long black hair fluttered slightly in the wind, but his face was concealed by a mask with the symbol of Kiri on the front.

"A Kirigakure oinin?" questioned Kakashi. He turned his attention to Zabuza's limp form and reached out for the man's wrist, feeling for a pulse.

There wasn't any.

"So he is dead," muttered Kakashi, stepping back. The oinin suddenly appeared next to the corpse.

"Wha… what's going on?" questioned Sakura.

"A ninja's body, even those from families without specialist techniques, contains secrets of the village they come from," explained Kakashi. "When a person becomes a missing nin, they are tracked by the hunter nin."

"Correct," said the oinin. "It is our job to slay these deserters and destroy their bodies so that the secrets contained there-in cannot be learned by others." Sakura shuddered slightly at the reminder of the sort of brutal world she'd entered. "Speaking of which, if you will excuse me, I need to dispose of this one. If you're interested in the bounty, I'll pass on word to the Mizukage."

Kakashi nodded, though there was something wrong with this picture. He couldn't place what it was though…

The oinin pulled Zabuza's body down from the tree, throwing the corpse's arm over his shoulder before forming a half seal and vanishing with **Shunshin**.

It was at that instant that it hit Kakashi, and Naruto as well.

"Crap!" swore Naruto.

"What? What's wrong?" questioned Sakura. Kakashi sighed.

"Let's get to Tazuna's house," he said. "I'll explain more once we're there."

* * *

A short while later, they arrived, and were introduced to Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami. After the introductions were over, though, Kakashi took his students to the living room and sat them down to listen to their latest problem… or rather, to the problem that hadn't gotten resolved.

"Zabuza is alive," he said simply. Naruto nodded, having come to the same conclusion, though he wasn't certain how the 'oinin' had pulled it off. Shino remained silent, waiting for an explanation. Sakura blinked in surprise.

"Huh? But you checked and he was dead, right?" she asked.

"Actually, it's very difficult to kill someone with needles," said Kakashi. "It is, however, possible to put someone into a state of _temporary_ death. It'll render the subject unable to act for awhile, but that's a better alternative to death."

"Are you sure though? Wasn't the oinin going to finish the job?"

"I've learned a lot about the procedures surrounding nukenin," said Naruto. "Um… oinin are supposed to dispose of the body by burning it to ashes on the spot. That guy took off with a corpse that apparently wasn't gonna stay that way for long." Kakashi nodded.

"So, Zabuza will be back, eventually."

"But we'll be fine, right?" asked Sakura, sounding worried, not that anyone blamed her. "You beat him just fine this time…"

"Next time, he'll have help, possibly from more than just the oinin," said Kakashi. "Further, part of the ease of victory this time was because he had no idea what you three were capable of and didn't see you as a legitimate threat, so I was able to use your talents to my advantage. That won't work a second time." He placed a hand against his hitai-ate covered left eye. "I still have a few more things to throw at him, but we need to prepare ourselves for the next encounter with him."

"So… training?" asked Naruto. Kakashi nodded.

"Training," he said. "But first… it's been a long day. We'll rest tonight and start the training tomorrow."

"What kind of training, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Shino curiously. The others were surprised by him speaking up, but then realized he might be feeling a little unsecure, since beating Zabuza had ended up taking out a good portion of his kikaichu. They could breed very quickly, but right now, the hive that was his body was effectively empty compared to what it usually was.

"Well… under the circumstances, it has to be something that can be very helpful and potentially learned in a short period," he said. "So… to start, Naruto and I will be teaching the two of you how to create shadow clones."

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did everyone think? One problem I've had with the manga was the portrayal of the Sharingan, for all of it's users. I also never liked how Kakashi would often talk (especially early on) about how he didn't like using the Sharingan, yet the only times we see him fight without it, he has his opponent's so hopelessly outclassed that he barely seems to notice he's beating them into the ground.  
**

**So, here I had him go without it. I prefer it that way, personally. In addition, rather than the usual "Kakashi gets trapped and Naruto and team have to save him", I went with the idea that Kakashi actually is the competent ninja he's stated and later shown to be, who's smarter than to get caught in such an obvious trap (unless he's _never_ fought a Kiri nin before, which just induces fridge logic, so we won't go into it). He uses Naruto's Kawarimi to protect the others, and Sakura's explosive tag to help expose Zabuza, with Shino being perhaps the big contributer with the female kikaichu he managed to get on Zabuza. Overall, though, Kakashi did most of the work, and largely wound up using his students as tools and extensions of his own strategy. It was pretty fun to do it that way.**

**Anyways, again, sorry for never updating, and I hope you all won't hold it against me and will still review. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and I'll see something in a review that lets me run through the next chapter in a few days (it's happened before; not often enough, sadly, but it has happened). And yes, part of telling you that is me begging for reviews, but the rest of it is genuine hope in something to help me out.**

**I hope to whatever god is listening (or perhaps just my muse) to see you all soon.**

**Sayonara!**


	7. Land of Waves

**Let's be honest: four months is a _lot_ better than a whole year as far as delays go, right? Especially for the longest chapter yet.  
**

**Sorry about not updating. I've been all over the map, and this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. Most of what I want to discuss is at the bottom, so I'm just gonna give a few quick "warnings".**

**First, I've basically crunched what's left of the Wave Arc into this one chapter; I just _really_ want to get it over with. A lot of this consisted of skipping over Inari almost completely.**

**Second, I don't feel that this chapter was well written long-term, and the ending is pretty rushed in my opinion, but like I said, I just wanted this arc over with. There are also, arguably, a Deus Ex Machina or two in this chapter, but I at least tried to explain one thing better than canon did.**

**With that done, let's get on with it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters.**

* * *

With team seven absent, the weekend spar was considerably fairer. Everyone realized this immediately, most especially Sasuke.

In it for revenge at this point, Sasuke didn't mind trading in glory for success, especially given what he was learning from the loose friendship he'd started to develop with Naruto. In fact, Sasuke felt he was learning as much from his teammates and the other two teams as he was from Asuma.

As such, Sasuke was actually reluctant to take charge and direct his teammates. Not because he had a problem being in charge, but because he could readily admit that Shikamaru was smarter than him.

He was just too lazy to actually do anything, and Sasuke wanted to find a way to motivate his teammate and friend, even if he'd only admit that latter bit to himself. Chōji, on the other hand, was certainly motivated—both by the promise of food and by the desire to prove himself.

After thinking things through, Sasuke had instructed his team to break up the others for one-on-one fights. Being the fastest, Sasuke would take Hinata, who was likewise the fastest on her team. Chōji, being the team's powerhouse, would take on his counterparts, Kiba and Akamaru. Shikamaru was the worst possible person for Ino to target with her mind-body switch techniques, and could easily lead his opponent in such a way to be able to support his teammates.

Sasuke did not think of that last bit. It was a surprise for all of the Genin when Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and Ino found themselves unable to move, and the senseis called the match immediately with team ten's first victory.

The fact that it was the first time team seven didn't win, and then only because they weren't there, didn't really spoil the mood much. Actually, the whole thing was… rather fun really. Not to say it wasn't when team seven was around, but there was a different kind of fun and satisfaction to be had in _not_ getting beaten into the ground by opponents who clearly outclassed you.

After the group training and spar was done, Asuma and Kurenai took their teams out to lunch together.

"You know, Sasuke, I have to say, I'm proud of you," said Asuma, almost absentmindedly as they were eating.

"What do you mean?" questioned Sasuke, frowning slightly.

"I guess the best way to put it would be to say… well, you've grown up," admitted Asuma. "You remember the survival test? Sure, you were better than Shikamaru or Chōji, but you were also an arrogant punk who wouldn't have stood a chance in the real world. But since then, you've improved; you work how you think is best with your teammates, you talk to the others… it's just a huge improvement, and I'm glad to see it."

Not knowing how to respond exactly, Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment. He wasn't really offended by Asuma's assessment of the graduation, because looking back on it, he knew his teacher was right.

"I… well, I owe Naruto for that," admitted Sasuke slowly. The name of the blond prankster immediately drew the attention of Ino and Hinata away from their conversation and right to Sasuke. "In many ways, I guess he's taught me a lot about being more reasonable and allowing myself to lean on others for support when I can't do something on my own."

It surprised everyone to hear that. But no one was as surprised as Sasuke himself—putting it into words made him realize just how much things had changed in the short time since graduation. He even began to realize that the only possible reason to face his brother alone was rising to his brother's last taunt.

He wouldn't do that. He'd avenge his clan, and bring justice crashing down on one of the greatest traitors in the history of Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, one who rivaled, maybe even surpassed, the betrayal of Uchiha Madara nearly a century ago.

But he wouldn't do it alone. If his friends wanted to help him, he'd gladly accept their help. But even if he never found Itachi, just in gaining these friends, Sasuke was beginning to recognize a victory over his brother.

* * *

It had been three days since the encounter with Zabuza. Kakashi had spent the majority of that time looking out for Tazuna while he worked on the bridge, just to be on the safe side, while Naruto was tasked with teaching Sakura and Shino the shadow clone jutsu.

He'd decided the best way to start was to have them focus on their other clone techniques first. Then, without using the mediums they normally did—water for Sakura and bugs for Shino—they were to try and create a solid clone, using the unique cross handseal of **Kage**** Bunshin** to focus the chakra in a different manner from the standard **Bunshin**, accompanied by simply trying to brute force the technique.

This, of course, was just to get them started, feeling out the technique and gaining a better personal understanding of it. Learning to create shadow clones was a relatively simple process, but simple did not necessarily mean 'easy', especially for mere genin. Few jōnin used the technique because other solid clone techniques were often much more efficient in a fight, and it was too draining for anyone to have considered it an effective training method. As far as he knew, the first person to recognize the application was Mai, but even she only recognized it on account of having large enough chakra reserves to make it useful.

Right now, Sakura was lying on the ground, head in Naruto's lap, panting heavily while his shadow clones brawled somewhere nearby.

"I've… got it…" panted Sakura. Naruto smiled, shaking his head slightly.

"Yeah, you've got it," he said. "Maybe tomorrow you'll be able to put it to use." He lifted his eyes from her to look at Shino, who was still struggling a bit. Not surprising—although he had larger chakra reserves, his chakra control was nowhere near Sakura's level… which also wasn't that surprising. It had taken Naruto the equivalent of a decade of chakra control training to achieve the level Sakura had reached in only a few months. The blond would sometimes find himself silently marveling at the feat.

Though it took him a few more hours, Shino eventually managed to create a single, successful shadow clone of his own, but collapsed soon afterwards. Sakura managed to recover a bit by this point, and the three decided to call it a day, leaving Naruto's brawling, arguing clones behind as they made their way back to Tazuna's house.

"Welcome back kids," greeted Tsunami enthusiastically. "Dinner's almost ready, and dad and Kakashi-san should be back soon."

"Thanks, Tsunami-san," said Naruto cheerfully. "Sounds good; we just finished with the assigned training, so we figured we'd talk about what to do next while we wait for dinner, our sensei, or both."

Tsunami laughed lightly at this as the three genin settled down in the dining room.

"What were you thinking of next, Naruto?" asked Sakura. She seemed slightly less out of breath than Shino, but that made sense since she'd been resting for awhile now and Shino had only just started, regardless of the difference in stamina.

"Well, who knows what Kakashi-sensei will think," said Naruto with a shrug. "Personally, I think the best thing to do is try and bring up your reserves; probably by using shadow clones while you perform lots of water walking or regular exercises. At any rate, I don't know if we'll have time for that. Kakashi-sensei will know better."

Shino nodded.

"There is a vast difference in both skill and power between ourselves and Kakashi-sensei," he commented. "If we wish to be of help, we must find a method of bridging that gap in only a few days."

"Shadow clones won't be enough for that," said Sakura. "Naruto, just how useful are the shadow clones in direct combat?"

"It depends on the difference in skill," said Naruto. "I could produce a billion clones and it wouldn't make any difference if the gap in level was great enough that my opponent could take the real me out with no effort at all." He paused. "Well, okay, a _billion_ would do the trick, but that's more clones than I can produce. There is some virtue to numbers, but in general, skill and power counts for a lot more than numbers do. Clones are easily destroyed, and when it comes to real people, it's cheaper to maintain a single skilled individual than to maintain twenty unskilled people who could together match that one person… with the net result that everyone dies."

"Only a really sadistic person would resort to such a method," murmured Sakura. Naruto and Shino agreed. "Come to think of it, though, working on bringing up individuals with a high level of skill makes sense in another way. Aside from being easily destroyed, shadow clones have all the same strengths as the original, right?"

"Yeah," said Naruto with a slight nod as he lay down on his back.

"So even in the scenario you described, that one skilled combatant could come out alive if he knew a technique to multiply himself, creating multiple people with his level of skill."

Again, Naruto nodded.

"That's a bit off-topic though," he said. "The point is that shadow clones won't help us against Zabuza directly."

"I imagine yours would help," muttered Sakura, thinking of Zabuza's reaction to a thousand explosive clones barreling down on him. Naruto and Shino heard her, and had a guess at what she was thinking, but decided to let the subject drop.

It wasn't long after that that Kakashi returned.

"You two learned to produce shadow clones already?" Kakashi chuckled, pleasantly surprised by the news. "Well then, that opens up plenty of new possibilities for your training. Naruto, you know more about the shadow clone training than I do, so correct me if I make a mistake in my assessments. Now, since I'd like to continue to keep an eye on Tazuna at the bridge for the time being, I'll send a shadow clone to oversee your continued training. Sakura and Shino, you'll continue chakra control and capacity training, with a single clone for each of you to handle what I actually want to teach you. Naruto, I'll let you decide how to use the clones for your training. Any objections?"

There were none, but soon after, while Naruto and Sakura were chatting about what they hoped to do as they got older, Tsunami's son Inari got into an argument with Naruto before running off.

It was at this point that Tazuna stepped in and told the four ninja about the man known as the hero of the village, who Inari had come to see as a father.

* * *

Naruto lay on his sleeping mat that night, staring at the ceiling and thinking of what Tazuna had said. To his own surprise, he found he couldn't sympathize with Inari.

Inari may have lost a father, but he still had his mother and grandfather. His loss was nothing in comparison to Sasuke's loss at an even younger age. Sasuke's loss was even worse than just his entire family, for his brother had been the one responsible for it all, a betrayal that the young Sasuke could never have conceived of. No matter the reason for Itachi's actions, there was no denying the effect it had on Sasuke. Even if the truth were to come out, even if Sasuke were to forgive his brother, it didn't erase the loss of everything he'd held dear.

But did Sasuke fold? No, he found a purpose. Maybe not a particularly noble one, but he had found a purpose in life none the less, a way in which he believed he could honor the memory of his family.

Naruto himself had never had a family; he'd grown up shunned, feared and alone. The girls he liked acknowledged him only to tell him to leave them alone, the instructors bullied him, parents pulled their children away from him, and the only kindness he'd known for years had been that granted him by the Sandaime.

Through his depression and loneliness, did Naruto give up? Like Sasuke, no; instead, he'd kept trying. Maybe he wouldn't have gone anywhere without Mai and Itachi's help, but he hadn't given up before their arrival, and he'd never had any intention of giving up. Not at the Academy, not in gaining the acknowledgement of the village, not in gaining the attention of Sakura and Ino. As long as he drew breath, Naruto would never quit.

So it was impossible to sympathize with Inari, who cowered in the face of those stronger than him, who refused to fight back, who remembered his father's death and not his father's life. To Naruto, it was pathetic.

Perhaps his views were mean, but he wasn't perfect. Ultimately, it wasn't his place to judge Inari anyways.

"Forget it," muttered Naruto. "Just focus on getting through the mission."

* * *

"So… how much weight are you carrying again?" asked Kakashi's clone the next morning. Or at least, the clone watching Naruto; there were two more with Sakura and Shino, monitoring their training.

"You know… I'm not really sure," said Naruto without diverting real attention from the count of his push-ups. "A lot. The shirt, ankle wraps and wrist wraps are all weights."

"You wore those during that spar?"

"Sixty-four… I hardly take them off," admitted the blonde. "Sixty-six… My senseis told me it would be best to wear them at all times, except for emergencies, until I became a chūnin. Sixty-nine…"

"I see…"

Kakashi thought about this; he knew Gai's prize student wore weights, though the details on the level weren't clear to him. The real use of training weights where ninja were concerned was the subtle push on their chakra. Even ninja were only human, suffering the same limits to strength and speed as anyone else. They got around this through chakra, and training weights, rare though they were, stimulated the instinctive manipulation of chakra in specific ways to tremendously enhance speed and strength, allowing a ninja to fight at a superhuman level.

With how impressive he was already, Kakashi had some doubts he'd be able to beat Naruto in a taijutsu spar without that handicap. Heck, the kid could probably prove a decent sparring partner for Gai, though that was rather iffy; tough as Naruto was, Gai could hit _hard_. Ridiculously so. And he had tremendous stamina himself. Even if Naruto could outlast Kakashi, he wouldn't be able to withstand or outlast Gai.

Of course, forgetting whether or not Naruto could spar jōnin on equal footing, there was another problem altogether. Once again, Naruto was far in advance of his teammates in the overall sense. His technique repertoire may have been limited, but he was still high genin, low chūnin level, while they were just rookies.

"Hmm, Naruto, do you have any more of those weights?" asked Kakashi.

"Ninety-seven… sorry, but no… ninety-eight…"

Then he'd just have to talk to Gai because there was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that it would be best for Sakura and Shino to at least start on 'weight training'. Even if Sakura would kill him for it somewhere down the line.

For now, though… for now, there wasn't anything to be done except wait and train.

* * *

Early the next morning, Naruto dressed himself in preparation for an early workout. This was fairly routine for him, and so he and Kakashi only exchanged brief greetings when the blond passed his teacher on the way out, the jōnin keeping watch just in case Gato decided to try something.

Quickly proceeding to his usual secluded location, the blond sat down to, of all things, meditate.

About a year after his training began, Itachi had suggested Naruto meditate regularly. The Kyūbi was a constant danger within Naruto, and was at its most dangerous when his emotions were running wild. Meditation helped him keep his emotions from running wild and providing an avenue for the Kyūbi to unleash its power. And it also helped him to call on the Kyūbi's chakra at a moment's notice.

According to Mai, who had done quite a bit of research into the matter, the most powerful jinchūriki were those who could work with their bijū instead of fighting for control. This made the Ichibi Jinchūriki by far the weakest; not only was Shukaku the weakest of the nine, but he was also incurably insane, never working with… well, _anyone_. In the overall sense, seeing as the Kyūbi refused to work alongside anyone, this made the Hachibi Jinchūriki the most powerful of all, _if_ he could win the respect of his tailed beast.

Itachi had attributed the matter to what they believed the bijū were: each a personification of compartmentalized emotion. While the words made perfect sense to Naruto, the meaning still eluded him to some extent even with the years of study; he suspected there was something the two were hiding from him about it.

Regardless, according to his teachers, the Ichibi was insanity, the Nibi was compassion, the Sanbi was rage, the Yonbi was (presumably) envy (of what, Naruto had no idea), the Gobi was courage, the Rokubi was calm, the Nanabi was pride, the Hachibi was seriousness, and the Kyūbi was hatred _and_ despair.

Of course, none of this was absolute, and all were dangerous demonic beasts; the Nibi may have been compassionate and the Rokubi calm and collected compared to the rest, but they were all forces of destruction, with rage something common to all of them, but most powerfully personified within the Sanbi and the hatred of the Kyūbi.

What this meant, of course, was that the Nibi, Rokubi and Hachibi were the most likely to work alongside their hosts. The Gobi and Nanabi could be more easily manipulated, but the Yonbi was uncertain, and the Sanbi difficult, though not impossible (one simply had to convince it to channel its rage a certain direction). However, the Ichibi didn't have the sanity to work with others, and the Kyūbi's all-consuming hatred meant it would never work with others, though its instinct of self-preservation allowed Naruto to tap some of its power. It was also theorized that, for some, these 'true natures' could only be brought out through infusion into a human host, allowing them to understand these things from a human standpoint rather than a demonic one.

Well… that was all speculation. Guesswork, nothing more, but Naruto figured it was pretty educated guesswork.

However, on the advice of the guessers themselves, he wasn't counting on them being right.

"Oh? I didn't expect to see someone out this early," came a soft, effeminate voice behind the blond.

For the first time since his return to Konoha, Naruto metaphorically leapt out of his own skin in fright and shock, and before he even knew what he was doing, he had four kunai in each hand and three more in his teeth, all with the custom explosive tags attached, with the blond himself now glued to a tree thirty feet off the ground, staring down at an effeminate young individual (boy? Girl? He honestly couldn't tell) wearing a largely pink kimono-like robe and carrying a basket of herbs. The person on the ground stared up at Naruto in shock.

Naruto stared back with an equal level of shock. However, while the figure on the ground was shocked by the speed and suddenness of Naruto's movement to the tree, the blond in question was shocked that someone had snuck up on him.

After a moment or two, the figure on the ground smiled slightly.

"That was surprising. You're fast."

At about this point, Naruto decided there was no danger and came down from the tree, putting away his kunai as he did so.

The way he figured it, Naruto had been pretty deep into his meditation, so he may not have been as aware of his surroundings as he really should've been. His certainty that it was safe, though, came from the fact that his acute danger sense was silent. That meant this person was safe.

Or good enough that if they wanted to kill Naruto, he was screwed anyways. You know, either way; it was time to put away the kunai and come down regardless. And he doubted that possibility, since even Zabuza hadn't successfully hidden from that danger sense.

"Thanks for the compliment," said Naruto. "Sorry about jumping like that; I'm not used to people sneaking up on me."

"Ah, my apologies. My name's Haku, by the way."

"Uzumaki Naruto," replied the blond. "Um… if you don't mind my asking Haku-san… are you a boy or a girl?"

"Ah, I'm a boy," said Haku, smiling slightly. "Don't worry. I get that reaction a lot."

Naruto sighed in relief at not accidentally insulting Haku.

"May I ask why you're out here so early, Naruto-san?"

"Training," said Naruto simply, sitting down.

"Oh? You seem quite strong already," said Haku, sitting down as well and setting the basket on the ground.

"Maybe; but I need to be stronger."

"Why is that?" asked Haku. Naruto smiled slightly.

"To protect," he said. "My home, my friends… for awhile, I just wanted to be acknowledged instead of ignored but then I spent two years with people who were like older siblings to me. They taught me a lot. And… well, there are these two girls. I've liked both of them for a long time, but they've never really paid much attention to me, focusing instead on this guy named Sasuke."

"That must be difficult."

Naruto's eyes lost focus somewhat. "Sometimes, yeah," he admitted. "But I've grown used to that sort of thing. I… I want to get their attention, but as long as they can be happy, that's good enough for me. I want to protect them. That's why I need to be stronger."

"I see," said Haku softly. "What you _want_ isn't actually to be stronger, but to protect them, and that is why you _need_ to be stronger."

"Yeah."

"Then I think you've already found true strength," said Haku, smiling slightly. "True strength is found in the desire to protect someone you care about. The more people you have to protect and the more strongly you want to protect them, the stronger you will be. It is my belief that _that_ is true strength."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks for saying so." He motioned to the basket of herbs. "What are those for?"

"Like you, I have someone to protect," said Haku. "Recently, the most precious person in my life was hurt. I need these herbs to help treat his wounds."

"Then I shouldn't distract you," said Naruto, standing up. "May I ask who that person is?"

"He is my father in all but name," said Haku, standing up as well. "My parents died when I was young, and he took me in sometime after that. The state of things in this country is not very supportive of his health."

"It's poor for everyone involved," agreed Naruto.

"Since I told you mine, would you tell me who your most precious person is?"

Naruto paused, thinking about it.

"Haruno Sakura," he said softly after a moment. "I'm an orphan, and like you, I've found a new father figure. Two, really, and a grandfather figure as well. People I think of as friends and brothers… but I guess Sakura stands above the rest, even above Ino-chan."

"That's good," said Haku, reaching out and pressing a hand against Naruto's chest. "It means that you will never be alone. There are so many precious people in your life… how could you ever be?"

Those words struck a chord in Naruto, and he grinned broadly.

"Yeah! You're right. Thanks, Haku-san." Naruto turned to leave. "Sayōnara."

"Sayōnara… Naruto-kun," said Haku softly as the blond walked away. Haku turned to head his own way and gather more herbs for Zabuza. "Conflicts between those who are only trying to protect their loved ones… are the most tragic of all, don't you think?"

* * *

The next day, training was done at the bridge, and even then it was more subdued than usual. Kakashi couldn't be completely certain when Zabuza would recover, with one week being only an estimate, and so, he had his students join him and train at the bridge.

He wanted to smack Naruto (and the blond wanted to smack himself) for not thinking to use the army of shadow clones to help with bridge construction sooner. They weren't experienced enough to do all that much, but Naruto had some experience with repair, which he could apply to construction well enough to considerably boost productivity at the bridge.

On top of that, the little stamina freak had another small army of clones busy training in the woods. One day, Kakashi would have to ask Naruto to demonstrate how many clones he could actually produce and reasonably use. But not until after they got back home.

"You guys have improved a lot in only a week's time," said Kakashi, leaning against the bridge railing. "I'm proud of you. Just don't let it go to your heads."

"We won't, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura. Kakashi chuckled.

"I'm sure you won't."

Fortunately, the day passed without incident and they all returned to Tazuna's home, knowing that the chances of encountering Zabuza would steadily climb until either the bridge was finished or they fought and defeated him once and for all.

"If we encounter Zabuza, you three focus on protection Tazuna and dealing with any subordinates he brings along," said Kakashi. "Like I said earlier, you've improved a lot. But you're still nowhere near his level."

* * *

The next morning, they arrived at the bridge to discover that they were not as lucky as yesterday.

Although many of the workers had left in fear of Gato, eight had stuck around with Tazuna. Those eight were currently lying unconscious in the middle of the bridge.

"Ah, crap," muttered Naruto. And right on cue, a thick mist formed around them, obscuring even the sides of the bridge. Naruto promptly tossed away his cloak.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi," said Zabuza. "But you can blame yourself for that."

"Good to know," said Kakashi. "This time, I won't let you get away alive."

"If you manage to carry out _that_ promise then neither of us leaves this bridge alive," said Zabuza. "Now… I'm told the brats have been training? Let's see what they can do, shall we?"

And just like that, ten Zabuza's appeared from the mist, surrounding team seven and Tazuna.

The response from the genin was pretty much instantaneous. A swarm of kikaichū emerged from Shino's sleeves and sliced through the fragile, chakra-laced bodies of three water clones. Sakura then used that water to create three clones of her own, which attacked three more clones, catching them off-guard and destroying them. Naruto, meanwhile, tossed a shuriken at each of the remaining water clones and multiplied them with **Shuriken Kage**** Bunshin**** no**** Jutsu**.

Less than six seconds after they appeared, all ten clones were destroyed, and Sakura now had three water clones helping to stand guard.

"Ha! One week and look what you've done with those kids, Kakashi! I don't know if they're that talented or if you're simply that good, but I kind of regret that I'm obligated to kill all of you now!"

At that moment, the mist faded someone, allowing the group to see Zabuza and the fake hunter nin through the mist.

"It is indeed impressive, Zabuza-sama," said the accomplice. Naruto didn't recognize the voice, as Haku spoke much more gruffly and firmly with the mask than when the two had met in the woods. "Even if the water clones only have a tenth of your real strength. May I?"

Zabuza chuckled.

"Which one do you want?"

"I think… I'll take the boys."

What happened next caught even Kakashi off-guard.

The fake Oinin suddenly charged forward in reckless fashion. Kakashi was about to move to intercept when Zabuza suddenly moved forward as well. It was a second later that everyone realized the accomplice wasn't targeting Tazuna, Naruto or Shino, but _Sakura_.

An instant later, Naruto was barring the accomplice's path, armed with a kunai in each hand, the one in his right held in a reverse grip. As Kakashi blocked an attack by Zabuza, Naruto struck at his own opponent, only to have the kunai intercepted by a needle. The blond's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry Kakashi," said Zabuza, tilting his head towards Naruto and Haku slightly. "Let's let our boys have it out. _Your_ battle is with _me_. And at this point, I don't know what Gato might do himself, so I don't think the girl can walk away from the old man, can she?"

Zabuza chuckled slightly as he leapt back and faded into the mist. Meanwhile, Naruto pursued his own conversation with Haku (not that he realized his opponent's identity).

"Those needles are laced with your chakra, aren't they?" he said. His eyes shifted briefly to Sakura. "Sakura-san, take your clones and guard Tazuna-san. Shino, be ready to move."

"It seems you're a wise one after all," said Haku even as Sakura followed Naruto's orders. "Therefore, I think I'll need to adjust the battlefield a little."

"And how do you intend to do that?" questioned Naruto, pushing back against Haku slightly. Both combatants realized in that instant that Naruto had the advantage in terms of physical strength.

"Well…" said Haku. "To start, I've successfully locked one of your hands. You won't be able to employ any ninjutsu or genjutsu like that. Second, although the girl took some of the water for her own clones, there's still eight Zabuza-sama clones worth of water around us." Haku raised his free left hand in front of him. "And as it happens, while you can't use jutsu like this… _I_ _can_."

In the blink of an eye, Haku formed a series of standard seals one-handed, something that Naruto couldn't even comprehend fully. It was absurd! He'd never read about forming two-handed seals one-handed _anywhere_! Even Itachi and Mai couldn't do that! What kind of person was he fighting here?

"**Hijutsu:**** Sensatsu**** Suishō**."

And with that, almost all the water surrounding the two rose up into the air and formed in countless needles (Naruto didn't doubt the name of this jutsu). As Kakashi, Shino and Sakura all cried out for Naruto in shock, Haku leapt back, outside the range of the needles. And for once, the blond didn't have any tricks prepared to face this attack, so he did the only thing he could, gathering an excess of chakra to his feet and leaping into the air.

However, his opponent was suddenly there, delivering a powerful punch straight to Naruto's abdomen and sending him flying towards the end of the bridge. Shino rushed off to help his friend, but before Kakashi or Sakura could act, Zabuza and two of his clones appeared and attacked them.

"I told you Kakashi, your battle is with me," said Zabuza. "Haku wanted to deal with your boys, so I intend to let him."

Meanwhile, Naruto landed on his feet, eyes darting about and ears straining to find his opponent. The mist was growing thicker by the second, making it at best difficult to find his opponent.

Then, the fake oinin appeared quite literally all around him, at least twenty clones. Not knowing the strength of his opponent, Naruto didn't hesitate to counterattack with a horde of his own shadow clones. But to his surprise, the water clones barely put up a fight, and Shino arrived a moment later, swiftly dispatching the last two before Naruto's clones dealt with them.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" asked Shino as he sent a few kikaichū out to try and find their opponent.

"Fine for the moment," said Naruto. "Though I'm not sure how long that will last. I may…" Naruto trailed off, glancing away slightly. Shino barely noticed, but decided to inquire about it later.

"**Hijutsu:**** Sensatsu**** Suishō**," suddenly echoed all around them and the water from the clones rose up, forming the needles again, but this time forming many, _many_ more, possibly created by several clones. Naruto and Shino quickly dodged out of the way, but they weren't quick enough. Fortunately, Naruto's clones pushed the two out of the way and otherwise shielded them.

"It seems my battlefield is prepared," said Haku, his voice echoing all around them. "Tell me, have either of you ever encountered an individual outside of your teacher wielding a kekkei genkai?"

"Oh, _please_ don't tell me…"

"Again, you prove you're not stupid," said Haku. "I am a member of the Yuki Clan, the only ninja in known history to wield Ice Release. Now, let me demonstrate our most feared and powerful jutsu."

The water around the two began to lift into the air…

"**Hijutsu:**** Makyō**** Hyōshō**."

… and then started freezing into a series of mirrors, enclosing the two genin in a dome. Before the two could really react, Haku appeared on all the mirrors… and then needles started flying at them from all directions.

The speed of Haku's attacks was more than any ordinary ninja could fight against. Left with no other choice, the two did their best to dodge, but both were quickly filled with needles in their arms, legs and shoulders, though thankfully without any real damage. The needles themselves didn't move any faster than Haku could throw them, but he could throw many of them very quickly.

"Any ideas Shino?" asked Naruto.

"Against something like this? Not really."

"Great… I might have one though…"

* * *

Ten minutes had passed since Zabuza first appeared, and only small blows had been exchanged so far. As highly trained and talented killers, both understood that first blood was meaningless—all that mattered was the final blow when it came to battles between individuals.

"Are you going to show off your Sharingan, Kakashi?" asked Zabuza.

"There's no point in it here," replied the Jōnin. "In this thick mist? I think we're both smart enough to know that."

"True. I'm certainly glad the Sharingan isn't your only strength. It makes this so much more… enjoyable, don't you think?"

Zabuza chuckled slightly.

"I wonder how your brats are doing against Haku. He has a kekkei genkai, you know. A very powerful one. He may be even stronger than I am."

At this point, Sakura started shaking.

"Ah, don't worry about them little girl. If I know Haku, then he'll probably just leave the two unconscious and unable to fight. You and Kakashi though… can't expect the same mercy from me."

While Zabuza talked, Kakashi quickly ran over the situation. If this Haku possessed a kekkei genkai, then he was extraordinarily dangerous to Naruto and Shino; he honestly didn't know if they could possibly fight one of those on even ground and that wasn't even counting the power of the ninja himself. What he needed to do was end the battle with Zabuza quickly. To do that, he needed to locate and immobilize his opponent.

In fact, he had a technique ready for that, one that would overcome the conventional masking techniques. But it wasn't ready. Like his opponents, Kakashi needed to 'prepare the battlefield', so to speak.

Zabuza appeared for a strike. In that instant, Kakashi lifted his headband, unveiling his Sharingan. Zabuza's eyes widened in shock and he began to pull back even as he swung Kubikiribōchō. Kakashi failed to defend himself in time, and got cut by the sword, but it was only a shallow wound on his left arm since Zabuza was pulling back, disappearing into the mist. Kakashi bent over slightly, as if the pain from the cut were more serious. He did this because it helped hide the smirk that he couldn't stop his lips from curling into, one big enough to be seen even with the mask.

_It__'__s __over,__ Zabuza_, he thought to himself. _I__'__ve __found __you._

* * *

For nearly eight minutes now, Haku had knocked Naruto and Shino about like pinballs. He moved faster than either of them could properly react, and they were forced to rely on the meager defenses they could summon—chakra gathered at his most vital areas for Naruto and small, tightly clumped groups of kikaichū covering Shino's most vital areas.

"You're both impressive and powerful shinobi," said Haku. "I have enjoyed your persistence, but I'm afraid it is time for me to end this."

"That right? You're wrong," panted Naruto.

"Hmm?"

"It's not time for _you_ to end this," explained Naruto.

"It's time for _us_ to end it," said Shino.

That was when Haku felt it: massive chakra drain. An instant later, he found the source: kikaichū were starting to cover every one of the ice mirrors. Desperately, Haku leapt out of the dome, releasing the jutsu. But then, Shino appeared in front of him and punched him in the stomach, a swarm of kikaichū clinging to him as he went flying. Naruto then appeared behind him, grabbing his wrist as he flew through the air, slamming him to the ground, then pulling him back up (breaking Haku's wrist in the process) before landing the most vicious and powerful haymaker Haku had ever felt right to the poor nukenin's face, cracking his mask and sending him flying halfway back towards where Kakashi and Zabuza were fighting.

And all the while, the kikaichū drained away what remained of Haku's chakra.

"Im… impressive," coughed Haku as Naruto and Shino walked over to where he was weakly pushing his drained body back to its feet, while Shino's kikaichū returned to their host. The entire lower part of Haku's mask was gone, exposing his chin, lips and nose. The rest was on the verge of breaking. "I made a mistake. I… didn't think the bugs could drain my chakra through the mirrors."

"They didn't," said Shino. "The kikaichū on the mirrors were decoys; most of them weren't even real, the result of **Bunshin**. What really struck you were kikaichū that you took into the mirrors with you."

"What?"

"You didn't really think we were letting ourselves get knocked around without a plan, did you?" asked Naruto, smirking slightly. "Every time you jumped out of the mirrors, a few more bugs got onto you and were dragged inside with you, just like your needles. Tracking insects that small at a distance isn't easy even without a mask restricting your vision. And you were moving at high speeds, making it even more difficult."

"Yes… I guess that would mess with my perception," said Haku. As he spoke, what was left of his mask gave up, breaking in half just above his right eye. "You win then… Naruto-kun."

"Haku-san…"

* * *

"Haku's taking a long time with those kids of yours… you should be proud, Kakashi."

"I am," said Kakashi, drawing a scroll from his jōnin vest.

"Still, I don't think it'll be long before Haku joins us and finishes the old man off."

Kakashi chuckled, unrolling the scroll and smearing his blood on it. "Or maybe you're wrong," he said. "Perhaps it is _my_ students who will return victorious."

"Impossible."

"Zabuza… you don't know those kids the way I do. Still, neither group will be joining us victorious; this ends _now_."

"And what are you going to do, Kakashi?"

"I was an ANBU once, Zabuza. I know a thing or two about tracking. For example…"

Kakashi performed four seals in rapid succession while holding the scroll he'd smeared his blood on.

"**Kuchiyose:**** Doton:**** Tsuiga**** no**** Jutsu**!"

And then he slammed the scroll against the ground.

"What?" questioned Zabuza. Seconds later, however, a pack of dogs burst from the ground and clamped onto Zabuza, weighing him down and locking up his movements.

"I can't see in this mist and you've mastered silent movement," said Kakashi. "But there's this funny sense called 'smell'. I believe that's _my_ blood on your sword?"

_Crap!_ thought Zabuza.

"Yes! Go Kakashi-sensei!" cheered Sakura as the mist began to clear. There was a large amount of water surrounding her and Tazuna, the result of numerous water clones that she'd destroyed through a variety of tools and tricks cobbled together using kunai, shuriken and _lots_ of explosive tags. She estimated she'd destroyed around two dozen clones. Tazuna would've sworn it was a few hundred, and that she was trying to take out the bridge in the process.

Kakashi lifted his headband, exposing his Sharingan once again.

"This time, Zabuza, you're _not_ walking away," he said as he formed the three hand seals of his 'signature' jutsu. "**Raikiri**."

* * *

"What will you do now, Naruto-kun?" questioned Haku softly. Shino wondered what the connection between his teammate and their enemy could be, but remained silent.

"You can't fight," said Naruto. "You don't have the chakra left for it." He closed his eyes. "I don't know."

"Kill me," said Haku.

"What?"

"Kill me. We shinobi are tools, Naruto-kun. And I am a tool that failed when I was defeated by the two of you. My life serves no more purpose."

"Throwing your life away is meaningless," retorted Naruto angrily.

"That is the world we live in."

"Maybe that's the world _you_ live in," snarled Naruto. "But that's not the way I look at it."

Haku sighed.

"So what if ninja are tools?" demanded Naruto hotly. "We're also alive! And as long as we are still alive, even if we fail, we can become stronger! Sacrificing yourself for another I can understand, but throwing your life away because you failed is stupid!"

"Naruto is right," said Shino, shocking the other two into silence. "To die without purpose… is the worst thing for a shinobi. But to _live_, even after failure, with purpose is the greatest thing any of us can hope for."

"Perhaps… you are right," said Haku. "But I serve Zabuza-sama; my loyalty to him is absolute."

"That doesn't mean you need to die meaninglessly," said Naruto.

"No… I guess it doesn't." Suddenly, Haku jerked slightly, causing Naruto and Shino to tense up. The mist was starting to fade. To their surprise, Haku smiled slightly.

"Naruto-kun… you're right," he said. "There is still something I can do with my life." He closed his eyes. "Naruto-kun… and you, Shino-san… never forget what true strength is."

"Haku, what are you…!"

But before either genin could do anything, Haku disappeared.

He didn't have enough chakra to do what he needed to do. But he had something else at his disposal.

As Kakashi charged at Zabuza a short distance away, a mirror formed next to the trapped nukenin, and a dead form emerged to block Kakashi's path.

The **Raikiri** drove through Haku's chest, destroying any chance he might've lived through the formation of his chakra hungry mirrors and the water needles he used to pierce the summoning scroll.

Blood poured from the gaping hole in Haku's chest. Naruto and Shino rushed towards their comrades and stopped short at the sight of the now dead Haku. Sakura and Tazuna stared at the scene in shock of what just happened. The dogs binding Zabuza vanished.

_This__ boy__… __was__ dead__ before __I__ even __touched __him_, thought Kakashi.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, Zabuza suddenly swung Kubikiribōchō at Kakashi, who leapt back, dragging Haku's body with him.

Zabuza chuckled slightly.

"Haku… useful even in death and defeat," he said softly. "It's a shame I wasn't at least able to cut you down in return, Kakashi."

"You… bastard…" growled Naruto.

"Everyone, stay back," said Kakashi loudly. "Zabuza… you wanted a battle with me? Shall I show you what I am really capable of?"

"I've already figured it out… you're a joke!"

Kakashi ignored the insult, glancing at Naruto and Shino, then at Sakura and Tazuna.

"Sakura, Tazuna, regroup with Naruto and Shino," he said. The two nodded, but before they even started to move, Zabuza rushed at Kakashi.

"You don't have time to look away and after your brats!"

Kakashi casually kicked Zabuza in the face.

It was simple, really; the mist had stopped clearing, but it wasn't nearly as thick as it had been before, and Kakashi now suspected it was Haku who'd maintained that ridiculously thick mist.

Without that mist, Kakashi was free to use his Sharingan to its fullest. Zabuza seemed to move in slow motion. The battle was over, and though Zabuza wasn't ready to admit it, he'd lost.

What the genin and Tazuna saw next was the most one-sided battle any of them had ever laid eyes on. Every time Zabuza so much as twitched wrong, Kakashi was there to exploit it, mercilessly landing blow after blow to the swordsman. Soon, Kakashi pierced Zabuza's left arm with two kunai. As he prepared to sink two more into Zabuza's neck, the nukenin swung Kubikiribōchō backwards, but Kakashi evaded and instead sunk the kunai into the right arm, rendering it useless as well and causing him to release his sword, sending it sliding along to the edge of the bridge.

"Now… you can't use your arms," said Kakashi, standing up from the crouch he'd fallen into when he dodged the last attack. "You can't form seals, nor can you use your sword. It's over."

Zabuza growled in response. However, before he could try to continue the fight, the sound of numerous footsteps reached their ears, drawing everyone's attention… to Gato, surrounded by what must've been over a hundred thugs.

And, held captive with a sword at her throat by the 'lead' thugs, was Tsunami, somehow managing to keep calm.

_Fuck!_ thought Naruto.

A hundred thugs without any shinobi backup? No problem. A hundred thugs without any shinobi backup and a hostage? _Big_ problem.

"Gato…" muttered Zabuza. "What is the meaning of this?"

Gato chuckled.

"Zabuza… there's been a slight change in plans," he said. "I'm afraid you're going to die here."

"What?" growled Zabuza lowly.

"If I rent official ninja, it can prove quite costly," said Gato. "That's why I hire exiled ninja, like you. It would've saved me a lot of trouble and money if you shinobi had all just killed each other, but you disappoint Zabuza. And you call yourself the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Bah. You're just a cute devil if you ask me." This prompted laughter from the army of thugs. The fists of the Konoha nin all tightened, but none of them could act while Tsunami was held hostage without endangering her.

"Kakashi…" said Zabuza softly. "It seems our battle was meaningless in the end. With this, I have no reason to kill Tazuna, and no reason to fight you. I'm sorry."

"Yeah," said Kakashi softly, even as he ran over the best way to get Tsunami. Genjutsu was his safest bet, but could he get the right one off on enough targets?

"Oh yes…" muttered Gato, walking over to Haku's body lying halfway between the shinobi and the thugs. "I owe this guy a favor for gripping my hand until it broke." Then, Gato viciously kicked Haku's head. Tazuna and the younger ninja all started slightly, but the thugs holding Tsunami motioned with the sword at her throat slightly, and they all stopped. "He's already dead. How disappointing."

"You… bastard…" muttered Naruto stepping forward.

"Naruto, don't do anything stupid," said Kakashi. "We can't let Tsunami get hurt."

"He's right kid," added Zabuza. "Haku's already dead."

"So you don't care at all?" shouted Naruto.

"No," said Zabuza. "Haku was the same to me as I was to Gato. I only wanted him as a tool, for his abilities. All shinobi are tools. I have no regrets."

"Then you're a fool!" shouted Naruto. Tazuna, Shino and Sakura were growing increasingly worried, but Gato merely looked amused. Kakashi's visible eye was widening; he was the only one to grasp what was about to happen. "Haku told me how he found his strength and it was no different from how I found mine! You're weak, Zabuza, because you can't admit that we're still human!"

"Naruto-kun…" muttered Sakura.

"Kakashi, do you really let your students mouth off like that?" asked Zabuza.

"I'm smart enough to know when to keep my mouth shut," replied Kakashi. Naruto threw a brief glare at his sensei before refocusing on Zabuza.

"My brother and sister… they're two of the strongest people I've ever met… and they sacrificed everything for the sake of protecting those they care about," growled Naruto. "Haku was the same… he sacrificed his dreams and even his life for you… he saw you as a father… do you really not feel anything!"

"Enough kid…" said Zabuza softly. "Damn Haku… for rubbing off on me."

"What?"

"Your words cut deeper than any blade I've known," said Zabuza, who Naruto could now see had a few tears on his cheeks. "But I can't do anything as things are now; Haku wouldn't want that woman to die."

Gato chuckled.

"And so you see, no matter what, I win," said Gato. "You're all weak. Shinobi are likes gods among men? As if."

"No," growled Naruto, taking another step forward. He glanced over his shoulder. "Sakura, Shino, I'm sorry you have to see this." He looked back to Gato, ignoring his teammates' confusion.

"Do you have some kind of trick you brat?" asked Gato, still confident.

"Yes," said Naruto. "You say Zabuza is a cute little devil? Why don't I prove that you're right?"

In the next instant, a massive murderous intent flooded the entire area, far greater than what had been felt from Zabuza when team seven arrived. Sakura, Shino, Tazuna, Tsunami, Gato and all of the thugs froze, unable to move, barely able to even breathe under the suffocating pressure.

The air around Naruto became charged with energy and a fiery reddish-orange glow surrounded him.

"Is that… chakra?" questioned Sakura. "But… I can see it!" Chakra was supposed to be invisible to the human eye… what was going on?

"_This_…" hissed Naruto as the chakra grew even more intense around him, blanketing him and forming an animalistic silhouette. "Is the power of a _real_ demon!"

And then Naruto was gone.

Only Kakashi and Zabuza managed to track the blond's lightning fast movements as he rushed over to Tsunami and punched away every thug around her in the blink of an eye, grabbing hold of her and leaping back to where he'd started with the terrified woman in his arms.

"So… do you want to do something _now_, Zabuza?" questioned Naruto as he set Tsunami down. The woman could only stare at her rescuer with frightened eyes, disbelieving that this boy possessed such power and was the source of this terrifying presence.

"Lend me a kunai?" said Zabuza with a grin, tearing off the bandages around his face with only his teeth. Naruto obliged, tossing a kunai that Zabuza caught in his teeth. Smirking behind his mask, Kakashi stood up, reactivating his **Raikiri**. Gato had enough survival instinct to break free of the grip of the lessening murderous intent first and bolt towards the end of the bridge to try and escape.

"So… who's first?" questioned Kakashi.

Then, Naruto, Kakashi and Zabuza charged straight at the thugs.

Now that the murderous intent was clearing up, Sakura and Shino's fear became mixed with awe as the three proceeded to tear apart the mob, Kakashi targeting vulnerable points on his opponents such as the neck, shoulder and hip, allowing him to slice through one and keep going. Zabuza stabbed and slashed with the kunai in his mouth, leaping about to dodge most of the attacks, but he still caught a sword and two naginata in the back, though neither pierced deeply. And Naruto threw punches every which way, each blow sending the victim flying clear off the bridge.

The 'battle' didn't last more than thirty seconds before Zabuza broke through and charged at Gato. He'd lost the kunai in one of the thugs, but that didn't deter him.

"Gato, a parting gift: an all expenses paid trip straight to hell!" roared Zabuza. He'd planned to kill Gato with kicks, but Kakashi, spotting Zabuza's lack of a kunai, sent a new one flying towards him. Grinning, Zabuza caught it in his mouth once again, focusing everything he could on the goal.

Gato screamed like a sissy little girl as Zabuza reached him, leaned back, then swung his body around and slammed the kunai straight through Gato's jaw and up into his brain. For good measure, he proceeded to crush Gato's neck as the tycoon fell to the ground.

He didn't expect to survive—he knew there were several of the thugs behind him, waiting to bury more weapons in him. But then, the Kyūbi-enhanced Naruto was there, sending them all flying with a single punch. Then, Naruto created five shadow clones, sending them all charging into the tightly clustered remains of the mob, where they promptly detonated.

Those that were not killed outright were crippled, unconscious, or had been thrown off the bridge by Naruto's attacks. As Zabuza straightened up, ignoring the pain in his back from his stab wounds, he glanced at Naruto.

_What is this kid?_

As Kakashi, Naruto and Zabuza started back towards the others, they were surprised to see most of the island's adult residents gathered at the other end of the bridge, gaping at the display of power they'd just seen through the clearing mist, all of them fortunate enough to miss out on feeling the leaked murderous intent of the Kyūbi.

"Mom!" cried Inari, rushing forward as he realized his mom was okay. It drew the attention of Tsunami, Tazuna, Sakura and Shino away from the spectacle they'd witnessed and to the crowd that had formed behind them.

* * *

And that was effectively the end of the mission. Gato was dead, and there was no real threat remaining to Tazuna's work completing the bridge. Inari told them the story of how he'd run for help after his mother's kidnapping and the villagers had ultimately rallied together, Inari somehow managing to convince them to deal with their frustration regarding Gato.

Zabuza was unable to fight at all right now—after the adrenaline rush died down, his cumulative injuries became a bit much for him, and his arms would take a month to recover without medical treatment. Since Kakashi couldn't simply let him walk away, Zabuza would be returning to Konoha with team seven as a prisoner. What would happen to him then was uncertain. Regardless, while he could've easily allowed himself to die, Zabuza acknowledged that it would make Haku's death meaningless if he did that, and he hadn't argued when Kakashi had explained what would happen.

The morning after the battle, Zabuza and team seven gathered to bury Haku.

"Boy…" said Zabuza, staring at the broken mask pieces sitting atop the rocks that served as Haku's grave marker. "You were foolish saving me. The world would've been better off without me and with you still in it. But… well, that's not how things happened, is it? I don't know what I'll do now, but I promise that I won't throw my life away."

* * *

A week later, the bridge was finished, and the damage from the battle was repaired. As the genin were packing up to leave, Sakura finally gave in to curiosity, turning to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun… what happened at the bridge?" she asked. Naruto and Shino both paused, the former because he was uncomfortable, the latter because he was also curious.

"That was… my curse," said Naruto. "I thought you were simply going to drop it."

"We've respected your privacy for a week, but… Naruto-kun, we're teammates, but more than that, we're friends… right?"

Naruto was silent.

"Please… answer me…"

"Yes," whispered Naruto, with tears forming in his eyes. "Yes, we're friends."

"Then please, tell us what your curse is," said Sakura.

"We want to help you, Naruto-san," added Shino. "But if we don't know… then how are we supposed to do that?"

"Guys…"

They fell silent after that.

"I… I'll tell you… when we get back to the village," said Naruto. "Please, not now."

"… okay, Naruto-kun."

* * *

**Author's Notes: And that's done. Since most of my ideas are focused from the Chuunin Exams to the end of Part I, getting through this was a priority. Now for explanations.**

**Most of the time, I've found Haku to have a ninety percent survival rate in fanfiction that include this arc, no doubt due to his popularity. Zabuza often survives as well, but I can't recall ever seeing Zabuza survive while Haku died. It's also often a given that the survivor(s) always run off to join Konoha. I'm not doing that; Zabuza _is_ a criminal, after all. It's not all sunshine and roses.**

**The questionable Deus Ex Machina is the way Naruto used the Kyuubi to resolve things at the end. It's arguable only because I mentioned that he could do it back in Chapter 1, and it seems likely the fox's malevolence could have an affect like that on people who aren't prepared for it. More of a Deus Ex Machina is the particular way I had Haku defeated, but at this point, I'm too tired and lazy to go back and fix it.**

**So, next chapter will have the return to Konoha and discussions regarding everything that happened. Naruto's now getting confronted by Shino and Sakura, so the question there is whether or not he'll run from telling them, or do as he promised and explain it. Even canon-Naruto is an uncertainty there. The next chapter will probably end with the start of the Chuunin exams, but no promises. Now that Wave is done, I may do more chapters focusing on the development and interactions of the characters.**

**Please leave a review! And I hope my muse can get the next chapter out sooner, but knowing my luck, that's unlikely.**


	8. Team Seven

**No other way to pu****t it: _much_ faster than the last update. Of course, the last update was set against the Wave Mission, which while quite possibly my favorite early arc, is not one I had many ideas for, nor was it a very easy one to write.**

**Now, I don't want to say too much, other than to note that I'm making some more retcons to Mai (they don't come up in this chapter, though; she won't put in another appearance till Itachi does). Basically, I went in and significantly modified a number of Mai's abilities to make them less powerful overall. Mai herself is basically on a similar level to Itachi; to warn, she doesn't have the major drawbacks that Itachi does (his low chakra/sick body keeping him from using to many abilities, and his Mangekyou Sharingan degrading his eyesight; more details will be revealed when the two finally return). I just thought I'd go ahead and get this out there.**

**A little tired here, so I'll wrap this up and meet you at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

When team seven started back to the village, Kakashi sent a message ahead through his summons, alerting the Sandaime to Zabuza's capture. So, before they even reached the gates, a group of ANBU had appeared to take Zabuza into custody before instructing team seven to report to the Hokage.

After hearing team seven's explanation for the events in Nami, the Hokage let out a small sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You should've come back, or at least called for reinforcements," he said. "Well… I'll let it slide since things turned out fairly well… mostly, at any rate. Zabuza's capture is a major boon for the village, but what happens next is still undecided. So, congratulations for your tremendous success. That said: _don__'__t__ do__ this__ sort __of__ thing__ again_! Now get out of here, your friends are waiting."

Realizing that the Hokage had decided to let them get away scot free, team seven wisely fled the office before he could change his mind. As Hiruzen had said, their friends were waiting for them right outside.

"You're a bad influence Kakashi," said Asuma. "Only you could take a team out on a C-rank mission a week before anyone else and then not get back till several days _after_ the others have finished their first C-ranks."

"True, but the client was too lazy to finish his bridge sooner, and I suspect my students could still bury all of yours six foot down," retorted Kakashi cheerfully.

"And why didn't you come back when that terrorist got involved?" questioned Kurenai, looking disapproving.

"Meh, I figured the worst that could've happen is if Naruto decided to cut loose and tear the guy limb from limb."

Sasuke and Kiba both chuckled lightly at this and Ino stifled a small giggle… then stopped when they noticed the expressions worn by Sakura, Shino and the jōnins. Asuma and Kurenai, in particular, had deeply concerned looks. Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"What did you _do_ out there?" he questioned.

"It's a long story," said Kakashi. "I'll tell you guys a bit. As for my students… I think there's something they need to discuss. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

Naruto glanced away, piquing the curiosity of teams eight and ten. However, the jōnin quickly ushered them away, leaving the genin of team seven on their own.

Naruto sighed.

"Follow me," he said softly. "I don't want to be overheard."

* * *

"So, Naruto managed to drive the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' to tears with _words_?" Asuma laughed. "That's _hilarious_."

"Less so when you consider it was because his student had just died."

"… okay, not so hilarious."

"Still… Naruto and Shino managed to defeat a shinobi with a kekkei genkai?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah," said Kakashi. "From the accounts I've heard, the technique would've allowed Haku to fight even jōnin on equal footing. It seems that their opponent was holding back and underestimated their ingenuity."

Asuma snorted, and the corner of Kurenai's mouth twitched upwards slightly. Team seven's ingenuity was _never_ to be underestimated.

"Did you have the time to teach them any new tricks?" asked Kurenai.

"Meh, Naruto did most of the teaching," said Kakashi with a thin smile. "I just supervised."

It took only a few seconds for Asuma, Kurenai, Shikamaru and Sasuke to catch on.

"You… didn't?" muttered Asuma.

"No, I didn't," agreed Kakashi. "All I did was make a suggestion and offer up a pointer or two. Naruto's gonna be a fine teacher one day. Until then… well, let's just say I'll be disappointed if my students haven't all been promoted by the end of the next Chūnin Exam."

* * *

Thirty minutes after their meeting with the Hokage, team seven was standing on top of the Hokage Monument.

It had been… a long time since Naruto had been up here. Even when he'd defaced the monument, he hadn't come up here. He couldn't remember why, exactly, he'd avoided returning; perhaps because it reminded him all too easily of his loneliness in the years before Mai and Itachi had taken him in. Or perhaps because he knew the Yondaime Hokage was the one who'd chosen to seal the Kyūbi in him. He really didn't know.

"If I tell you about this…" started Naruto after a moment of the three staring out over the village. "Can you promise that you won't hate me?"

"Naruto…" The blond didn't miss the lack of honorific from Shino. "We're your friends. I will never turn my back on that."

"Shino's right," said Sakura. "Besides… I could never hate you."

Despite their words, Naruto was still afraid. But… he'd agreed to tell them. He'd been told to never be ashamed of what he was, but it was still hard.

Sighing, Naruto removed his cloak.

"First, there's something you two should see."

The skintight, weighted black shirt was removed next, Naruto setting it down gently so it wouldn't cause any damage to the monument, and revealing the bandages wrapped around his stomach in the process.

"Naruto… what…?" murmured Sakura, but the blond ignored her, removing the bandages as well. There were no injuries visible, leaving Shino and Sakura confused as to why Naruto wore the bandages… but then, he turned around, and they saw the mark on his stomach.

"This…" murmured Naruto, "is the curse placed on me by the Yondaime Hokage on the day I was born."

"What?" gasped Sakura.

"It's a seal," said Naruto. "Sakura-san, Shino-san… I was born on the tenth of October, twelve years ago. What else happened on that day?"

The eyes of both his teammates widened.

"K-Kyūbi…" whispered Sakura. Naruto nodded.

"I don't know exactly what happened that night," he said softly. "But… to save the village, the Yondaime sealed the Kyūbi away into a newborn child—me."

"Naruto…"

"That is my curse," said Naruto. "It gives me massive chakra levels, insane regenerative abilities and access to a portion of the Kyūbi's chakra. But I also had to deal with the resentment of the villagers and keeping the Kyūbi locked away."

"So that's why you were neglected," said Shino.

"Not just neglected—you were shunned," said Sakura. "I remember my mom telling me to stay away from you when I was younger. Everyone was like that, right?"

"Everyone except the Hokage… and then later, Iruka-sensei." Naruto turned to look back over the village. "I know I asked you to promise not to hate me… but if you change your minds, I don't blam… ooph!"

Sakura had rushed up behind him and slammed into Naruto, wrapping her arms around him.

"I didn't lie Naruto!" she cried, tears evident in her voice. "I can't hate you… I could never hate you… what happened to you was horrible, but it doesn't have to be anymore! I'm here for you, Shino's here for you, Kakashi-sensei's here for you and so is everyone else!"

Naruto felt Shino's hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back at his teammate.

"She's right," he said. "We're all here for you Naruto." For a brief moment, his lips seemed to twitch into a small smile as a few bugs crawled across his face. "I never went through what you did, but I know what it can be like. Consider what my entire clan is, Naruto. We all receive the kikaichū at an age too young to decide for ourselves whether or not we want it, and at some point, all of us wonder what it would be like to not have them living throughout our bodies."

"Thanks… both of you… Sakura… Shino…"

* * *

When Sakura arrived home an hour later, Yuko immediately swept her daughter up into the tightest hug Sakura could ever remember receiving.

"Sakura! You're finally back! How did the mission go?" said Yuko, releasing her daughter and smiling warmly.

"Good… all things considered," she said. "Mom… I need to ask you about something. It's really, _really_ important."

"What is it Sakura?"

"Why did you hate Naruto so much for having the Kyūbi sealed inside him?"

Yuko froze in shock, eyes widening as she stared at her daughter.

"H-how…?"

"Naruto told me," said Sakura softly, looking down, bangs covering her eyes. "He told me and Shino everything he knew about the Kyūbi. So please mom… answer me… please tell me that it wasn't just to hurt him that you told me to stay away…"

"It wasn't," said Yuko. The tone caused Sakura to look up at her and see the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Sakura, I wasn't any better to Naruto than anyone else. I… wasn't trying to be malicious. I used to think horribly of him and didn't care about what happened to him… but that wasn't why I told you to stay away. I did that because I was afraid… I was terrified that you would get hurt."

"I see…"

"Sakura, I…"

_SMACK!_

Slowly, Yuko reached up to touch her stinging left cheek. Sakura stared at her mother, tears in her eyes, right hand still raised.

"Naruto… suffered throughout his entire life," she said. "No matter how good your reasons are… I can't just forgive this!"

Unable to say anymore, Sakura ran to her room before Yuko could say anything.

* * *

"So, Naruto-kun has told you his secret?" said Aburame Shibi softly as he walked through the forest on the grounds of the Aburame Clan Compound.

"Yes, father," said Shino. "In spite of our reassurances, Naruto seems worried that Sakura and I will reject him for it."

Shibi came to a halt, prompting Shino to do the same, looking up at his father. Shibi stared back at his son, his expression blank, but in his mind, he was going over Shino's _exact_ sentence structure, specifically, what words that last sentence was _missing_.

"I can only imagine the difficulty he has faced throughout life," said Shibi after a moment. "Naruto-kun has grown used to rejection, even come to expect it, in spite of the welcome he has received with his return home. Thus, it falls to you and Sakura-san to prove to him that he doesn't need to expect that anymore."

Shibi started walking again.

"They are the truest friends I have ever known you to have," he said softly. "Prove to them that you are as much their friend as they are yours."

* * *

Naruto sat atop the Hokage Monument, staring out over the village. Despite reassurances, he really was still worried about Sakura and Shino's reactions.

A life of being shunned could not be swept away so easily, not by two years of seclusion, not by a warm welcome home, not by months of fun and friendship.

But the wounds had begun to heal.

"I thought I might find you up here," said Kakashi, appearing behind Naruto suddenly. The blond glanced back over his shoulder at his sensei. "How did they take it?" asked Kakashi, stepping forward and sitting down next to Naruto.

"Well… I think… I… I don't know," admitted Naruto. "They both said they didn't care, that they'd stay with me, but I…"

"Believe them, Naruto," said Kakashi softly. "They know you better than to reject you."

"Yeah…"

They fell silent after that, but it was comfortable. Kakashi fully accepted Naruto in spite of what he was, and so the blond was comfortable with his sensei.

For Kakashi, it was an interesting moment. Naruto was normally bright, cheerful, and confident. Now, it seemed he'd let down his barriers some and was showing, for however brief a period, the boy beneath the mask. He hid it beneath confident maturity, but he was still a rather insecure boy inside. Kakashi had seen Naruto's usual behavior, as well as his immature prankster side, but this seemed the first time he was seeing the _real_ Naruto, even in the years before his disappearance.

"Kakashi-sensei… he was your teacher… do you know… why he chose me?"

This question was unsurprising, but still caught Kakashi off-guard. Of course, he'd known the Yondaime Hokage well. In many ways, Namikaze Minato had become a substitute father to Kakashi as the years passed, and the cycloptean jōnin, despite his quirkiness, was well aware of a certain pregnant redhead in the Yondaime's life.

"Yes… I think I do," said Kakashi softly. "But are you sure you want to hear it now? It might be better to wait, and… I'm not really sure it's my place to tell you."

"I'm… scared," said Naruto. "I've thought of so many reasons, fantasized about so many things… dreams and nightmares about it used to come whenever I closed my eyes…" It was only the second time in his entire life Naruto had really opened up to someone. The only previous occasion had been with Mai and Itachi. "I… do want to know. But at the same time, I'm terrified of the answer."

"Then for now, we'll wait on the answer," said Kakashi. "For the time being, we'll continue as we have. There are people who it would be better for you to hear it from than me, but if they don't tell you, then I will. Consider that a promise."

"Kakashi-sensei… thank you, but… when I'm ready… I want to hear the answer from you."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly in surprise.

"Why me?"

"Because… because…" Naruto's voice fell down to a very soft whisper. "Because you may be the closest thing to a father I've ever had."

Kakashi didn't know how to respond to that.

* * *

The next morning, the whole team had gathered at Training Ground 7 once again.

"It feels like ages since we were here, doesn't it?" said Kakashi cheerfully once all three arrived, a sack lying on the ground at his feet. They were shocked by the fact that he was here _before_ them; even when they got him to be 'on time', it was in the sense that he showed up right after all of them.

"Anyways, I figured we'd dedicate today to training," continued Kakashi. "We'll begin with a review of all that you've learned."

As he spoke, Kakashi also observed. Naruto was hiding behind his usual mature confidence, and Shino wasn't actively different either. But Sakura kept sneaking glances at Naruto, and it was obvious that she was worried about him. This last one brought a small smile to Kakashi's lips beneath the mask.

"Now, I was doing some thinking on the matter yesterday," said Kakashi. "One of the first things we want to do is bring up Sakura and Shino's stamina so that the two of you can use more shadow clones. To help facilitate this, I purchased some weights for you two to wear as part of your training. These are just normal weights for now, but we'll trade up to the sort of training weights Naruto uses later." As he spoke, Kakashi pulled the weights in question out of the sack, handing one full set to Sakura and Shino, who took them without question. Good sign; it most likely indicated a desire to avoid hindering Naruto.

"Now, I'm going to start all three of you on a strict exercise and diet regimen, and I don't want any complaints," said Kakashi.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," said all three of them. Another good sign; it didn't seem to have even occurred to Sakura to object in any way.

"In the meantime, both during your physical exercises and while on local missions, I want shadow clones practicing chakra control exercises and whatever jutsu you already know. When I see fit, I will pull clones aside to start teaching new jutsu to. We'll continue to take missions, mostly D-rank for the time being, but if I see a C-rank that looks good, we'll be taking that. Any questions?"

They were silent. Kakashi nodded.

"Now… your teamwork has been superb from the start," he said softly. "I don't think we need to worry about that. Sakura, Shino, Naruto shared a grave secret with you yesterday. I want you two to remember that it is his to share, understood?"

"Of course!" said Sakura without hesitation. "We'd never betray Naruto's trust like that!"

"Sakura is right," added Shino. "It is not our desire to bring harm in any form upon our _friend_."

"Guys…"

Slowly, Naruto smiled.

* * *

It was a major turning point for team seven, in more ways than one, and it showed; three days later, during the finally resumed weekend team spars, all three were noticeably more protective of each other… and the spars were _considerably_ more one-sided, which was really saying something!

For example: the first spar featured explosive clones, explosive tags and kikaichū that completely drained every member of team eight and team ten. It was over so quickly that most of the genin weren't even certain what happened, and after a short time to recover, they went back into sparring, with the jōnin barring the use of ninjutsu, genjutsu, kikaichū and explosive tags.

This just led to team seven tearing apart their opponents in taijutsu. After all, without the use of ninjutsu, Kiba and Chōji lost a _lot_ of their stopping power, Shikamaru and Ino couldn't do much, and Sasuke and Hinata were simply torn apart by Sakura and Naruto using the Mirāken.

"Kakashi…" muttered Asuma in exasperation as the third spar got going, once again without restrictions. "What did you _do_ to those kids?"

"I told you the whole story already," said Kakashi with a small shrug, glancing up from his book. "Perhaps we should simply put an end to my team's inclusion in these spars."

"**Sakura ****Fubuki**** no**** Jutsu**!"

A massive explosion. What sounded like Kiba choking out "I surrender…" as Akamaru yelped in pain or fear. A squeak of fright from Ino. A sigh from all the jōnin. And Kakashi swore he heard Hinata, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Chōji gulping in terror.

"She's added ninjutsu _and_ genjutsu to it now," muttered Kakashi. "I'm gonna have to test their chakra affinities soon."

"Oh, cause that's _just_ what they need," said Asuma. "The knowledge to create jutsu that will turn the entirety of Hi no Kuni into a _crater_."

Kakashi smirked in response.

* * *

In spite of that, team seven's subsequent training continued to focus on improving Sakura and Shino's stamina and teaching Naruto a wide variety of ninjutsu. As one of Naruto's greatest strengths was his clones, having a large selection of offensive, defensive and supportive abilities to choose from for each was invaluable.

Team spars ceased at that point, for various reasons. One is that there was little benefit in continuing the spars as they'd been. Another was to increase the focus of each teacher on their own students. The last was because team seven was taking regular C-rank missions now, and effortlessly finishing every D-rank thrown their way.

Zabuza's fate was decided a week after his arrival. The 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' was placed under house arrest, which he honestly found to be better than he'd expected when he'd conceded that there was no way to avoid capture after the battle on the bridge. He was getting off pretty lightly, mostly because no one from team seven was really hurt and because Zabuza did lend some help to the team in completing their mission.

About two weeks after initially handing Sakura and Shino weights, Kakashi went ahead and upgraded them to the full training weights, courtesy of Gai, who was overly enthusiastic about the thought of additional genin utilizing the largely forgotten tools.

During that time period, Kakashi observed as Naruto grew more relaxed and spent more and more time with his teammates. He'd revealed his secret to them, exposed a terrible curse, and both had remained faithfully at his side.

They'd now completed one A-rank mission, three simple C-rank missions (that actually _remained_ C-rank) and who knows how many D-rank missions. Sakura could produce two strong shadow clones and maintain them for a few hours now, and Shino could create around five and maintain them for about as long. Their endurance had grown quickly, no doubt in part because of their escort missions that involved a _lot_ of walking.

Now, Kakashi was satisfied. He was ready to do the utterly impossible and take his students training to an entirely new level.

"All right, as of today, we're probably going to stop doing missions entirely for a while," started Kakashi as the four met up that morning. "You've all performed remarkably well, but these missions are also cutting into your training time, especially the C-ranks."

"Okay, so what are we gonna be doing?" asked Naruto. Kakashi smiled as he pulled out four small pieces of paper.

"Well, to begin, I'm gonna offer a full explanation, even though I'm sure at least one of you already understands the details," he said. "We're going to be doing some rather advanced training here; chūnin level minimum. Now, all of you know the five basic elemental chakra natures: fire, wind, water, lightning and earth. You don't have to master an element to be able to use it; you just have to understand the basic principles. On the other hand, you do have to master them to mimic a jutsu of that type with the Sharingan, which is why I've never copied any wind jutsu, but that's not important for our training right now."

"So, you want us to learn more about using the chakra natures?" asked Sakura. Kakashi nodded.

"Basically, yes," he said. "But we're gonna do more than that." He held up one of the pieces of paper, channeling chakra into it. As he did so, the paper crumpled up, surprising the three genin. "These are special cards made from trees grown and fed with chakra. Every individual has a nature type for which their chakra has an affinity. Mine is lightning, so when my chakra was channeled into the card, it crumpled up. If your affinity is fire, it burns. If your nature is wind, it gets cut in half. For water, it gets wet. And for earth, it crumples to dust. So, to begin our training, I want each of you to channel a bit of chakra into these papers so we can determine your affinity."

With that, he handed each of them one of the cards and waited. Naruto and Sakura each took a small breath before they began to channeling, while Shino simply did it immediately.

"Hmm…"

Naruto and Sakura opened their eyes to see the results.

Naruto's paper had been sliced in two. Wind nature; Asuma would be overjoyed. Sakura's had become soaked, and was starting to fall apart. Water nature; that was actually surprising, as Kakashi had expected earth. Shino's card had turned into dirt and fallen apart. Earth nature; finally one to Kakashi's expectations, as most Aburame were earth-natured.

"Interesting," said Kakashi. "More than a little surprising, to be honest. I expected earth nature for Sakura as well as Shino, and fire or lightning for Naruto. Well, maybe that last one was just a tad hopeful on my part. In any event, it's time to begin your training. Naruto should blow right through this first day."

A moment of silence. Then…

"That was a bad pun, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura. Kakashi chuckled.

"Well, at any rate, it's even more important we get the stamina for you and Shino up," said Kakashi. "I'll leave a clone here to supervise the training of your clones while the real ones do a lap or more of Konoha."

"Are you trying to kill my friends off, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto as Sakura groaned slightly. If one paid attention, they'd notice Shino grimacing. Kakashi chuckled.

"Not at all," he said. "Now, Sakura, what I want your clones to do will be manipulating water. Using only your chakra, no jutsu or hand seals, try to alter the flow of the stream there a bit, preferably lifting water into the air. Shino, I want your clones taking rocks and trying to grind them up using only chakra. And Naruto, I want your clones to work on cutting a leaf in two with only chakra. Say… enough clones for every leaf on that tree over there?"

"Okay… Kakashi-sensei, when all those clones release, I'm gonna collapse."

"Hmm? Ah, of course. Mental stress, right?"

"Yeah."

"Got it. I'll keep that in mind. For now though…" Kakashi formed the cross seal for the shadow clone. "Let us begin your chakra nature transformation training."

* * *

"These weights… are gonna kill me…" moaned Sakura as team seven finally finished their first lap. Kakashi, completely unstrained and reading his book, chuckled slightly. "Don't laugh! Assuming I live through all this, I'm gonna kill you for it later!"

"Eh, I'm sure we'll get the chance at some point," said Naruto. As well read as he was, he of course knew what the major purpose of mastering a chakra nature was. Since running was fairly mindless work, he was already thinking of what he'd do with it once the wind training was complete.

"Though if you desire more immediate retribution, we do know every hiding place for Kakashi-sensei's books," added Shino. Kakashi blanched as Naruto chuckled slightly and Sakura threw an evil grin at her sensei.

"You three will be the death of me someday," he said lightly. His visible eyebrow rose slightly as Naruto stumbled a bit.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" asked Sakura.

"Ah, a clone just dispelled itself," he said. "It went to ask Asuma-san about advice for using wind chakra. One of your clones and one of Shino's clones also went off to ask for advice. Not sure who Kakashi-sensei recommended for them though…"

"Probably created a clone to introduce them to a friend of mine in the ANBU," said Kakashi. "Or maybe just called him over, assuming he's not working. He uses both water and earth, so he'd be a good choice. If not him for some reason, though, Shino would probably be sent to Kurenai, and probably Shiranui Genma for Sakura."

"So, we should probably be ready to receive that information sometime soon," said Sakura.

"Perhaps," said Shino. "But we cannot use the shadow clones as well as Naruto. It may be unwise to release them when there are so few to share the information with."

"I guess…"

* * *

Not long after that, Kakashi received clone information confirming that Tenzō would not be back in the village till tomorrow, but his guess on the alternatives was spot on.

Afterwards, the team managed two more laps before they had to stop—if Sakura collapsed from exhaustion, her clones would dispel preemptively. Still, it was a testament to her growth that she'd completed three laps with the weights she had on.

Sakura and Shino did not receive the information of a dispelling shadow clones, apparently proving the latter's theory correct. When team seven arrived at their training ground, it was to find two Sakuras hard at work trying to manipulate the stream, five unmoving Shinos with their hands held over the rocks in their other hand, and hundreds of Narutos working on leaves. When the Kakashi clone saw them arrive, he dispelled himself.

"Hmm, I think now would be a good time to go ahead and release the shadow clones," said Kakashi. The students nodded.

"Well, see you whenever it is I regain consciousness," said Naruto with a slight grin. Sakura gave him a worried glance before Naruto released the jutsu, and the entire army of clones vanished. "Huh… well, that's interesti…" The blond trailed off and fell over, Sakura catching him before Kakashi or Shino had the opportunity to do so. Kakashi chuckled slightly, but neither of them made any comment.

"You two should release as well," said Kakashi. "Just to warn you, you might have similar problems to Naruto, though probably not as severe. This _is_ pretty strenuous training when you really get down to it."

"Got it, Kakahi-sensei," said Sakura as she and Shino released. "Huh… well, that _is_ interesting. But now…" Sakura rubbed her forehead. "I have a _serious_ headache. How did Naruto _handle_ all of this on an almost daily basis?"

"You can ask when he wakes up," said Kakashi, laying his student down. "Let me go take a look at the progress everyone made…"

Kakashi first checked the rocks Shino had been working on. A few of them looked a little worse off than when he started, but he couldn't be entirely certain if this was a real sign of progress. He remembered seeing Sakura get a bit of a twitch out of the water, but that was as likely a brief wind as it was her influence. As for the leaves, there were a lot more so it was hard to tell, but most only had a small cut, while a few had a somewhat deeper cut.

It was actually about what Kakashi had expected—this was high chūnin level training he had them doing. He hadn't expected them to really accomplish much on this first attempt, excepting Naruto, who had an absurd advantage over his teammates in that regard.

"Well, you three rest for now," said Kakashi, turning back to the two still conscious members of team seven. "When you feel up to it, you're welcome to continue, or if you prefer, you can take the rest of the day off. If you have any questions, I'm sure you'll be able to find me."

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura.

* * *

No one from team seven contacted Kakashi for the rest of the day. When he met up with them the next morning, his first action was to ask if they'd done anymore training after he left. He was informed that they had, but that the continuing training had only one clone for Sakura and two for Shino. Kakashi didn't ask about their progress, knowing he'd see it for himself today.

"Alright, I'll stay here with the clones while you three run laps this time," said Kakashi. "I may need to visit a friend depending on your progress, so I want to be here personally just in case."

"Got it, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto. He created his army of clones, who proceeded to pluck another tree of all its leaves. Shino created his five clones, Kakashi handing them the stones to work on for today so he could better track the progress. To his surprise, Sakura created three clones to work at the stream. He decided to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't strain herself with this.

"See ya later sensei!" called Naruto as the three left. Kakashi nodded, then turned to the clones as they got to work.

It did not take him long to see the difference.

Or, more precisely, the lack thereof. To be expected.

Shino had gotten at most half a day's worth of straight experience yesterday. Sakura hadn't even gotten that. Plus, while in terms of actual time this method was faster, each individual clone was basically getting the same experience multiple times; Kakashi guessed that for the first half dozen or so, each clone would give the equivalent of half the experience the previous one did. Though that was just a guess.

Naruto, however, had made swift progress. Understandably; he had hundreds more clones than either of his teammates. Already, Kakashi could see that at least one leaf had nearly been sliced clean in half, and it had only been a minute. He smirked slightly under his mask.

This training method just wasn't fair; Naruto was going to be insanely powerful when he grew up.

* * *

"You're amazing, you know that, right Naruto?" asked Sakura as team seven jogged around the perimeter of the village.

"I'm not," said Naruto. "The Kyūbi grants me a lot of chakra, letting me support more clones than anyone should be able to. Or, to put it another way, I'm not amazing, I'm a cheater."

"We're ninja, right? Whatever works…"

Naruto chuckled.

"My old senseis said that sort of stuff a lot," he said. "I think one of them once told me 'it's only cheating if you get caught, and if you already won, it doesn't matter anyways'."

Sakura giggled slightly.

"Huh… one of my clones just dispelled itself after cutting a leaf in half," said Naruto. "I hope the rest don't do that; we just started jogging, I _don__'__t_ want to faint already."

* * *

"Tenzō."

The ANBU in question paused at the sound of his name, turning to face the source.

"Kakashi-sempai," he said, surprised. "I haven't seen you since you had me modify the training ground for your team. You've been busy with them."

"Yeah," agreed Kakashi. "You can probably guess, but I need your help again. I'm glad you got back from your mission today."

"Yes," said Tenzō. "What is that you need?"

Kakashi chuckled.

"More waterfalls," he said. "And probably to have some trees repaired. Among other things."

Tenzō looked at Kakashi, confused.

"May I ask why?"

"My students are doing chakra nature transformation training."

Tenzō started choking in shock. _Rookie_ genin doing _that_? What was the world coming_ to_?

* * *

The training continued in this vein for another week. Shino and Sakura were steadily increasing the number of clones dedicated to the training, and they were making steady progress with their nature transformation training, though it was still very, _very_ slow.

Naruto, thanks to his greater number of clones, had moved on to stage two, and was in the process of trying to slice a waterfall. Well, three waterfalls, each with about twenty clones working on them. It wasn't anywhere close to the number used for the first part, but that was intentional on Kakashi's part. This stage would require larger amounts of chakra, and it wasn't a slow process either. All that cutting wind chakra had to be unleashed all at once.

Kakashi had chosen to leave them to their own devices on this occasion, after spotting a little bird in the sky giving a signal. He had somewhere important to be right now.

Specifically, he needed to be standing in the Hokage's office, surrounded by a variety of other jōnin and chūnin. Really, he knew what was coming; he'd known for awhile, which is why he'd dropped their D-rank missions in favor of stamina and nature transformation training.

"You've been assembled for one reason only," said Hiruzen after everyone arrived. "The reason should be obvious by exactly who is here."

"That time already," muttered Asuma.

"It's already been reported to the other countries," said Genma. "I saw a few of their ninja in the village. So, when is it?"

"In a week," answered Hiruzen.

"That's a bit sooner than I expected," said Kakashi; or rather, he'd expected to have more than a week's warning. He was really glad he'd decided to start on the current training so early on.

"Well, I'll announce it properly seven days from now," said Hiruzen. "But yes, in one week, the Chūnin Selection Exams will begin."

* * *

After finishing their laps around the village for the day, team seven headed into the village for a bit of downtime before heading back to the training ground.

Of course, that's where they encountered a rather curious sight.

…

"I don't know who you are…" said Naruto, a disbelieving expression on his face. "But you might be interested in getting a proper education. Rocks aren't shaped like boxes with two holes in them."

A moment of silence… then the box was lifted off to reveal three kids hiding under it.

"Yup, that's the man I view as my rival," said the boy standing between the girl and the other boy. The speaker had a long scarf tied around his neck.

Naruto shared confused looks with Shino and Sakura before looking back to the boy.

"Do I… know you?"

The poor kid face-faulted.

"Konohamaru-kun!" cried the girl. The kid, Konohamaru apparently, popped back up. Naruto wondered where he'd heard that name from.

"Ah, how could you not know who I am? I'm the Sandaime Hokage's grandson and I'm gonna be the next Hokage, it doesn't matter how much you think you deserve the position!"

"Ah, that's right," said Naruto absentmindedly. "Now I remember where I heard your name. Hokage-jiji mentioned it once a few years back. What I'm trying to figure out is why you think I'm your rival. Kid, I'm like, four years older than you."

"Were you not listening? You're my rival because you're trying to take the position of Hokage that's gonna belong to me someday!"

"Well, I can tell you that you're not gonna get to be Hokage pretending that poorly painted boxes make for good rock disguises."

"Why you…!"

"Come on Naruto, let's not waste time on this kid," said Sakura. Shino nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "Let's go." He turned to leave.

"Ah! I can't believe you guys! First you refuse to acknowledge the truth, and then you insult me! Like I said, I'm the Sandaime's grandson!"

"Brat… we _don__'__t_ care," said Naruto, looking back at the poor kid. "So you're grandpa is the leader of the village. Guess what? _You_ are still a little brat who's done nothing but spout nonsense at us. Your heritage doesn't matter, because any of us could beat you while _blindfolded_. So, if you want to be Hokage, or more pointedly, if you want to deny me the chance to become Hokage, then get stronger than me and prove you have what it takes to _really_ be a Hokage."

As they turned to leave, the sound of clapping was heard behind them, prompting team seven to turn back around. To their surprise there were two people standing there, a young man in black (who wears black in this heat?) with a large object wrapped in bandages strapped to his back and odd face paint, and a blonde girl wearing light purple clothes and a large folded fan on her back. It was the face painted man who was clapping.

"Nice speech there kid," he said mockingly, a broad grin on his face. Naruto's eyes were drawn to the symbol on the headbands worn by the two (the girl's around her neck, not unlike the way Hinata wore hers). They were ninja of Suna.

Was it that time already?

* * *

"Now," said Hiruzen, "first, we'll hear from those who are watching over the new genin. Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma…" The three stepped forward as their names were called. "Well? Are there any of your students that you would like to enter into this Chūnin Selection Exam? I know they've all completed the requisite twenty missions total, at least three of which were C-rank; so I merely await your nominations, particularly as completing more than that is the norm."

Iruka stared at the three jōnin in front of him. Of course, he knew Naruto was strong, and Kakashi insisted Sakura and Shino were quite strong as well. But Iruka had taught all of them, even Naruto for a brief time. Aside from Naruto, none of them were ready for this challenge. There would be no backup, and no jōnin or even chūnin to aid them.

"Now… Kakashi, you start."

"From the 7th Graduate Squad that I lead," said Kakashi. "Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. Under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate them to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"What?" gasped Iruka softly.

"From the 8th Graduate Squad that I lead," said Kurenai. "Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Yamanaka Ino. Under the name of Yūhi Kurenai, I nominate them to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"From the 10th Graduate Squad that I lead," said Asuma. "Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Sasuke. Under the name of Sarutobi Asuma, I nominate them to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"All three of them gave recommendations?" murmured one chūnin disbelievingly.

"It's been years since rookies have participated in the exams," added another.

"Hmm…" Hiruzen eyed the jōnin instructors somewhat curiously.

"Please wait a moment!" came Iruka's voice suddenly, diverting everyone's attention to the academy instructor.

* * *

"What are foreign ninja doing in Konoha?" questioned Sakura.

"What? You don't know? Man, you're more pathetic than I thought," said the funny-looking man. Naruto decided to call him 'ugly-face' in his head.

"Hmph, well at least we're not so pathetic that we need to resort to insulting the ninja of other countries," retorted Sakura casually. Naruto swore he saw the blonde girl's lips twitch slightly towards a smile as her companion scowled.

"Eh, let's not start flinging around insults needlessly," said Naruto as ugly-face started to open his mouth. "I imagine they're here for the Chūnin Exams. That's a little sooner than I expected; hmm, I wonder if that means I can start pulling out some of my special tricks. Or… you know what, they'd find out and kill me anyways, though I'm not entirely sure _how_ they'd find out, I just know they would."

"Naruto, please stop talking to yourself and focus," said Sakura.

"Right, right, sorry. We were focusing on ugly-face and the cute blonde over there, not the three brats, right?"

It took everything Sakura had to suppress her laugh down to a giggle. Even Shino couldn't keep his lips from twitching into a smile. Ugly-face turned red in the face at the insult. The blonde, somewhat surprisingly, blushed a little; fortunately for her, no one noticed (and fortunately for _everyone_, Sakura didn't notice). Konohamaru and his friends looked pretty irritated at the way Naruto brushed them off, though of course, nowhere near as bad as ugly-face.

"Why you…!" growled ugly-face, pulling the bandage wrapped object off his back.

"Huh? Hey, Kankurō, you're not really gonna use Karasu here, are you?" questioned the blonde, shocked at ugly-face's… sorry, _Kankurō__'__s_ actions.

"Oh, you bet I'm gonna make that little idiot…" Kankurō trailed off and gulped slightly as the blonde's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the kunai now held in a reverse grip at Kankurō's throat by a second Naruto.

"Okay… I admit that if you _are_ here for the exams, then you have the right to be," said the clone Naruto.

"And I also admit that if you're going to cause trouble, I should let a higher level ninja handle it," said the real Naruto.

"However…" said both Narutos together, "if you're going to try and attack us, then we're obligated to defend ourselves, and probably report you to our ANBU and your sensei. Understood?"

With that, the clone Naruto flickered out of existence. Konohamaru and his friends gaped at what they'd seen, hardly believing it was possible. Kankurō was very obviously scared of what he'd seen. Outside of team seven, the blonde Suna genin was the only one who seemed rational enough to speak up.

"Thanks for the warning cutie," she said with a faint smirk. Kankurō turned disbelieving eyes on her, while Sakura started glaring daggers at her. "And thanks for not slitting my impulsive little brother's throat just now."

"Temari…!"

"That's enough Kankurō," came a new voice. Kankurō and Temari both immediately froze in fright before a new figure appeared between them in a swirl of sand. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

_Sand? And not any of the fancy tricks used in the villages but **real** sand… it can't be…_

"G-Gaara…" stuttered Kankurō.

"You're behavior is an insult to our village," said Gaara, addressing Kankurō, but keeping his focus on Naruto. There was something extremely sinister about the eyebrowless redhead with the large gourd strapped to his back. Konohamaru and his friends all rushed to hide behind Naruto. "You… what is your name?"

"Ordinarily, I'd ask for yours, seeing as you're the guest here," said Naruto. "But I think that question has been answered. Very well; my name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Gaara nodded slightly.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" he echoed. "I shall remember it. Temari, Kankurō, we're leaving." Nodding meekly, the two Suna genin followed Gaara as he left. Naruto glanced at the three brats still hiding behind him.

"You three get going," he said softly. "Stay out of trouble, and steer clear of the foreign ninja, but _especially_ that guy with the gourd. Got it?"

"Y-y-yeah, sure," said Konohamaru. The three ran for it.

"We should head back to the training ground," said Naruto. "This just got a lot more serious."

"How serious? Naruto, what's wrong?" said Sakura.

"That guy, Gaara… I think he may be like me," said Naruto softly. Sakura and Shino's eyes widened, and they nodded, agreeing with Naruto's suggestion that they return to the training grounds after all.

* * *

Everyone in the Hokage's office stared at Iruka, surprised by his interruption. Hiruzen spoke up first.

"What is it, Iruka?"

"I may be speaking out of place," said Iruka. "But most of those nine were students of mine at the academy, and even Naruto was one for a short while. Yes, they're all very talented, but it's too early to take the exam. Even Naruto needs more experience. I can't understand the jōnin's reasons…"

"Hmm… you know…" said Kakashi, "I became a chūnin when I was _half_ Naruto's age."

"Naruto is different from you!" said Iruka.

"Is he?" said Kakashi, voice barely more than a whisper. Iruka's jaw snapped shut in shock. Kakashi pulled a kunai from his pouch, holding it by the blade. "Iruka, they aren't kids in the academy anymore. They are ninja. They aren't your students anymore. They are _our_ students. These kids are the heirs to the most powerful clans in our village, so this is a good experience for them regardless. But…" There was a surprising emotion in Kakashi's visible eye—anger. "_Never_ insinuate that Naruto is less than he is. He is my prize student; more than anyone else, I truly believe that Naruto is the greatest thing that has happened to our village since Namikaze Minato joined our ranks. If you think he's not ready for this…" Kakashi lifted the kunai, holding it out to Iruka. "Then why don't you go see for yourself?"

Silence followed Kakashi's words, more than a few disbelieving of the comparison. But some understood. Some knew what Kakashi knew, or guessed at the truth. And they knew that every word Kakashi spoke was the absolute truth.

"Fine," said Iruka after a moment, accepting the kunai. "If they're really as strong as you say, then I'll withdraw my objections." Kakashi smirked.

"Even Tsunade-sama's legendary bad luck wouldn't be enough to make them fail to meet your expectations," he said lightly. Iruka shook his head slightly and left. Then, Hiruzen let out a soft chuckle.

"Well now, that _was_ quite a sight," he said, reaching under his desk and pulling out a crystal ball. "So, shall we observe?"

* * *

"So, you're sure that Gaara guy is like you?" asked Sakura as team seven arrived at their training ground.

"Pretty sure," said Naruto. "I don't know of any other way for a person to be able to manipulate natural sand like that. To be honest, I don't think he'll actually cause trouble, but please, be careful."

"Okay," said Sakura softly.

"We will be weary," added Shino.

The three looked over at their clones. Progress, but… it was difficult to say how much. Each of them started releasing the clones, one at a time for Naruto to reduce the strain somewhat.

After they were done, there was silence, all three of them listening to the gentle sounds of nature around them. Training ground seven was an increasingly special place for them, almost a home away from… well, the house if not the _actual_ home.

"It's surprising, isn't it?" said Naruto softly.

"Hmm?"

"It's been almost three months now," said Naruto. "Since we became a team, I mean. I only came home a week before that. It all feels like a lifetime ago."

"Yeah… it really does," said Sakura. "If you discount the danger… these have been some of the best times of my life."

"Yes…" agreed Shino. He thought back to what his father had said to him weeks ago, after Naruto revealed his secret to them. "Outside of my clan…" He looked towards the sky. "You two are my first friends," he admitted. It was a bit surprising to hear from Shino, always the quiet one. They looked at him before both smiled slightly. Sakura thought back, and realized she wasn't even creeped out by his bugs anymore.

"We can do this," said Naruto. "Let's finish this training… right now…"

"Yeah," said Sakura. She glanced at Naruto. As he was about to walk over to the wooden platform he'd stood on while trying to cut the waterfall, she grabbed his shoulder, pulling him closer to her… and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Naruto froze.

"For luck," she whispered softly as she pulled away. Naruto stood, unmoving for several seconds before a grin spread across his features—the biggest smile either of his teammates had ever seen from him—and he bolted up to the platform. Sakura giggled slightly, her stomach tingling a bit from knowing it was a reaction to the kiss.

Shino carefully concealed a smile at his teammates' behaviors as he picked up a stone from the pile of unused rocks Kakashi had provided. Sakura stepped over to the stream.

Unnoticed by the three genin, Iruka, wearing an admittedly poor disguise, was hiding in the bushes, observing them.

_What are they up too? I guess it doesn't really matter. Nice to see that they've bonded, though. Still, that doesn't mean they're ready. Now… grabbing Naruto or Shino would be pointless, especially for this exercise. Seems like Naruto still has that old crush on Sakura… guess she really is the best target. Now…_

Before Iruka could formulate a plan to grab Sakura, he learned just _what_ his former students were up to.

Naruto placed his hand against the waterfall and instantly created a two-foot long cut in the stream that disappeared quickly. Sakura pushed her chakra into the stream and moved a portion of it to diverge left before rejoining the main stream. Shino ground the stone to dust in seconds.

Working hard at everything, Sakura and Shino had now basically been practicing this for the equivalent of at least a month.

With looks of determination and firm smiles on their faces, they went another step up.

Naruto slammed both hands against the waterfall and sliced the entire stream in a second. Sakura slammed her hands into the ground next to the stream and the water burst ten feet straight up. Shino slammed his hand against a small boulder and reduced the thing to dust in only a few seconds.

The eyes of all the observers—Iruka and those watching from the Hokage's office through his crystal viewing orb—widened in disbelief. Iruka even dropped the kunai he'd been holding.

The sole exception was Kakashi. He merely smiled, proud of his students for all that they'd accomplished.

* * *

**Author's Note: I really enjoyed this chapter. It was fun, funny and a little touching at times; I hope I got the emotions to come across right. Shino is especially hard in this regard.**

**There are two issues I feel I had: one, I feel like I skipped over a bit too much. And two, I should've gone back to Sakura's mother. I'll try to fix that next chapter.**

**Anyways, Naruto does indeed reveal the Nine-Tails, and as you probably all saw coming, Sakura and Shino accept him anyways. Sakura even has that confrontation with her mother; please keep in mind that Sakura doesn't suddenly hate or resent her mother, she just made it clear that she couldn't readily forgive her mother for adding to Naruto's suffering. A bit of that may be anger at herself for not defying her mother; I'll leave it up to you.**

**Then we get to chakra nature training. Now, a few things I want to clear up because I've found them to be common misconceptions in fanfiction: any individual can use chakra natures that don't have some kind of genetic/bloodline requirement. An individual's chakra nature affinity is merely what element their chakra is particular good at. As for the choices, I actually had some difficulty picking out Sakura and Shino's affinities. And I know Sakura and Shino seem a little fast, but keep in mind the equivalent training they've gotten (they were going at it for a week with an average three or four clones for Sakura and five to seven for Shino); this is also _only_ step one, the "easy" step. The ending may have been a bit overdone, but I just wanted to have some fun with it there, and it's basically what they did before, just with more chakra.  
**

**Now, as the affinities go, Earth was a natural choice for Sakura, of course: set in her ways and (in part II) a powerhouse, hard-hitting, self-healing but not necessarily especially fast. On the other hand, fire was a good choice when you consider "Inner Sakura's" personality. I chose water as a reflection of Sakura's canon healer status, as well as the fact that I see her as someone who can be very gentle, but also very firm and tough when need be.**

**For the same reasons earth would've been a natural choice for Sakura, it seemed like it could've been a poor choice for Shino, who is adaptable, intelligent and calm. Wind may have made a good choice, and the same for water. I chose earth so that everyone would have something different, and because it seemed fitting for the Aburame Clan due to the bug association.**

**Although, I may wind up going back and changing Sakura's to fire; it would be a fairly simple thing to rewrite when you get down to it, and water _does_ feel a tad cliche for her. Opinions on that would be nice; like I said, it wouldn't be challenging to change it.**

**Moving on, I just want to make it clear that I don't dislike Iruka or Kankurou; it was simply easy to get jokes at Kankurou's expense, and I wanted to show that Iruka is still concerned for his old students, though perhaps a tad overconcerned. As for Konohamaru, well, how was I suppose to do that? I didn't include him in the early chapters at all, but I didn't want to cut him completely; so I settled on the idea that he'd have heard about Naruto and his desire to be Hokage, perhaps even from his grandfather or uncle. It may still be possible for him to establish his canon brotherly friendship with Naruto, but that's for later.**

**To wrap it up, I'd like to note one thing I _really_ enjoyed about this chapter: basically the entire focus was on team seven and their interactions. Teams eight and ten make only minor appearances; while those characters _are_ indeed a part of the story, Sasuke and Ino are probably the only ones of truly great significance (I know Shikamaru is very popular, but plenty of fics focus on him, so there's no shortage of good works with him). Ultimately, team seven and their friendship is one of the central aspects of the story, with Sasuke and Ino both playing their own parts, most of it focused towards Naruto.**

**Alright, I've gone on more than long enough. Please leave a review, and I hope to see everyone soon!**


	9. The First Exam

**Yay! Update, update! ^_^**

**Anyways, like last time, not too much I want to say here, other than to note that I'm retconning Mai's power levels down a fair bit from what they were (rather than being absurdly powerful but having severe restrictions on the power); I was researching some stuff, and was reminded of how much Naruto resembles DBZ these days. Since I want to avoid that, I'm dropping the power levels of several characters, both OCs and canon ones.**

**Also: contests! More details at the bottom. And I'm preparing to open a blog that I will be posting my stories too; just as soon as I manage to get things there all figured out…**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

"Kakashi… what did you _do_ with those kids?" questioned Hiruzen in absolute disbelief. In the orb, Iruka grabbed his kunai and left; evidently, what he'd just seen had been more than enough to convince him they were ready.

"I started them on chakra nature control," said Kakashi idly. "Say… about a week ago? I may have to talk to Shino and Sakura about that last stunt of theirs; they don't have Naruto's stamina after all…"

"That's beside the point," muttered Hiruzen. "You are _never_ going to get to turn down a genin team again."

"Flattering though that is, I'm never going to reproduce these results," said Kakashi. "You simply gave me some of the brightest students to pass through the academy."

"Evidently," said Hiruzen. "Unless I miss my guess, Naruto just finished six months worth of training in a _week_. And finished in a big way, I might add." Shaking his head slightly, Hiruzen smirked. "We could sit here and ask questions about your students all day. But we should get back to discussing the exams. I _will_ want to talk to you about their training later though."

"Understood."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING THOSE KIDS?"

Kakashi rubbed his ear slightly. The yeller was Iruka, who had returned just in time to shout at Kakashi before everyone from the meeting was completely out of ear shot.

"Let's see…" muttered Kakashi almost absentmindedly. "I mostly wound up teaching new stuff to Naruto. I lost track of the list at some point; fire and water primarily. I'll probably be teaching Sakura and Shino some extra jutsu soon. Other than that, mostly chakra control exercises and helping them hone taijutsu and whatever techniques they already knew. Why do you ask?"

"I'm asking because I just saw three rookie genin do something that it should've taken them another two years to accomplish!" said Iruka. "I can reconcile it with Naruto—I have no idea _what_ the details of his time outside the village were. But Sakura and Shino didn't even have the most basic chakra control exercises done three months ago!"

"Hmm, chakra control exercises… now _there's_ an idea. Instead of running them around the village, I should call in favors to have a big deep lake made at our training ground and have them run laps around that."

"Are you even listening? You've made those kids do the impossible!"

"Do you still think they can't pass these exams?"

"Uh… well… no, I don't think that anymore…"

"Then we're good," said Kakashi cheerfully. "If you'll excuse me, I'm sure my students would like to see me. They're no doubt eager to learn the next step of their training, and I must ask them if they actually wish to participate in the exam."

"You're excused," said Hiruzen. Kakashi smiled, nodded, and left the office.

He considered heading out to meet his students immediately… then realized he might damage his reputation for perpetual lateness if he did so.

So, instead, he decided to see if there were any good books on sale right now…

* * *

"You two overdid it," said Naruto, looking down at his prone, panting teammates. "How many times have we been over the fact that _I'm_ the only stamina freak in this team?"

"Three-hundred forty-two times," answered Shino. Naruto blinked.

"That was a rhetorical question. I can't believe you actually kept track."

"You should know by now that Shino likes being meticulous," said Sakura. "Though I guess we did get a bit carried away. Do you really blame us?"

"Guess not," admitted Naruto, lying down and looking up at the clouds. "We've finished the current phases of training. Not sure if there's another one for me, but I don't think so. Do you know why Kakashi-sensei has us doing this?"

"So that we can more easily utilize the jutsu he plans to teach us?"

"That's probably only part of it," said Naruto. He tapped his head slightly. "_Eighty years_ of academic studies. You learn some stuff there. For example, the two essential aspects of creating an entirely original ninjutsu that a ninja must learn are shape transformation and nature transformation."

…

"Kakashi-sensei is milking this shadow clone thing for all its worth, isn't he?" muttered Sakura.

"I do not believe we are complaining," said Shino.

"I've already got a few ideas…" said Naruto.

"Like what?"

"Well… I understand enough about raw wind power to know that I could probably make a jutsu capable of turning the country into a crater."

"Oh, the sweet whimsy of barracks science," said Sakura. "How I long to embrace it."

"Where in the world did you hear a line like that?" questioned Naruto.

"A comic I read a few years back."

"I'm sure there's a wonderful story behind that," said Naruto. "And yet I find myself terrified of the possible answers."

_Two and a half hours later…_

"Yo!"

Kakashi waited for someone to yell at him for being late. No one did. He looked down at his three students. Were they sleeping?

"You're early, Kakashi-sensei," commented Sakura, her voice right in his ear. The jōnin nearly leapt out of his skin, but quickly realized Sakura wasn't actually there.

"… normally, I let this off, but I have to ask: how did you _do_ that?"

"Practice," answered Naruto from the ground. "We had some spare time, so we thought we'd mess with you, but I was the only one who could make clones to practice throwing voices. Copying Sakura's voice just required a simple **Henge**."

"… you have to be the craziest three genin I have _ever_ laid eyes on," muttered Kakashi.

"Thanks for saying so," said Naruto. "I've heard the crazier you are, the more powerful you tend to be. I mean, what kind of lunatic do you have to be to successfully develop a ninjutsu that manipulates _space and time_? The Yellow Flash could not possibly have been sane, but the man was ridiculously powerful."

"Fair enough," said Kakashi, smiling in amusement. "However, I didn't come here to debate the merits of sanity with the three of you. Instead, I wanted to congratulate you for your success, and as a reward, inform you that I've nominated all of you for the Chūnin Exams to be held in one week."

"The Chūnin Exams? We've been nominated?" asked Sakura.

"That's right," said Kakashi. "The way I see it, the worst that could possibly happen is that you three leave behind a trail of traumatized genin from foreign nations, leaving them incapable of bringing it clientele, and netting us more money."

"So you're using us to make money to fulfill your porn addiction?"

"Laugh if you will Uzumaki, _I'm_ the one who regulates your pay."

"Shutting up."

Sakura laughed. Shino remained quiet as ever, but was privately amused as well.

* * *

Not half an hour later, Sakura returned home, her Chūnin Exam registration forms in hand. All she had to do was sign it, and she'd be in.

"Sakura? Is that you?"

"Yes mom."

"Dinner will be ready in just a few. If you want to take a shower first, you should probably hurry."

"No, I'm fine."

Things hadn't been _too_ awkward in the weeks since Sakura had slapped her mother. Yuko had said she probably deserved it and let the matter drop, as had Sakura. Still, it was sometimes uncomfortable.

"How has your training gone?" asked Yuko as the two sat down at the dinner table a few minutes later.

"Great," said Sakura with a small smile. "We finished our current training, so tomorrow we get to move onto the next step. It's all in preparation for the Chūnin Exams. Kakashi-sensei went ahead and nominated us."

"Already? You just graduated a few months ago…"

"I know, but it feels like a lifetime," said Sakura softly. "Actually, that's something else. Mom, I… need your advice."

"Hmm?"

"I… well, I want to ask Naruto out soon."

To Sakura's surprise, her mother was completely unsurprised. Yuko set down her chopsticks, sighing slightly.

"I wondered when this would be coming."

"Wait… you knew?"

"Of course," said Yuko with a small smile. "Sakura, I haven't heard the words 'Sasuke-kun' come out of your mouth in nearly twelve weeks now. You mostly talk about your teammates, especially Naruto-kun. Also, you dropped the honorifics the day you found out about the Kyūbi."

Sakura stared at her mother, running her mind over the past few months and was startled to realize that her mother was _right_. Ever since the team spars had started, she'd barely even thought of Sasuke outside of those spars.

"Also, when you were out on that mission of yours, I cleaned your room up," said Yuko. "Your stalker photos of that Sasuke kid have been collecting dust."

"I, um…" Sakura blinked. "I… really don't know what to say."

"Say 'thank you for paying more attention to my feelings than I have and can you please answer my request for advice on how to ask Naruto out'."

* * *

When team seven began training the next day, it opened with the interesting and amusing sight of a small horde of Naruto clones trying to take the wind nature transformation to yet _another_ level. Specifically, Kakashi instructed Naruto to manifest enough wind to actually push the waterfall back up. Inevitably, of course, they would get soaked by this. So, the clones had all removed a good chunk of their clothes.

_That_ had led to the hilarious (or perhaps disturbing) sight of Naruto, Kakashi and Shino spending about ten minutes trying to snap Sakura out of the biggest daze any of them had ever seen. Made more awkward when she started drooling before the first sixty seconds were up.

"I don't even _want_ to know what she's thinking about," muttered Naruto.

"Consider that she's probably fantasizing about you," said Kakashi, voice completely deadpan.

"… okay, I don't want to _admit_ to being curious about the possibility, and interested if that's the case," said Naruto. "I'm thinking Shino's the only non-pervert on this team, but that doesn't mean I have to display that for the world."

"I'm sure there's a wonderful story behind that, and yet I find myself terrified of the possible answers," commented Kakashi. He sighed. "Okay Sakura, this is getting ridiculous."

* * *

"Did you hear? They say there are going to be rookies in the exam for the first time in five years."

"Heh… no way… the jōnins are just being stubborn and trying to look good…"

"I wouldn't be certain… the rumor is that three of them are the students of that Kakashi… and they say those three are really strong…"

"That's interesting…"

"But in the end…" The girl speaking tossed her kunai, embedding it in a target above her teammate's head. The teammate in question didn't even blink.

"It's pitiful for them… to compete so far out of their league," he said.

* * *

The following week flew by in a bit of a blur; every free moment was dedicated to training. The instant Naruto finished the third step of his wind nature training, Kakashi provided some scrolls from Asuma and the Sandaime on a few particular wind jutsu. During this time, Sakura and Shino also trained in the use of water and earth techniques, as well as the physical training, a special sort of nightmare all its own.

They'd had a few sporadic run-ins with the ninja of other villages, including a few more encounters with Temari. However, these were mostly just passing acknowledgments. Sakura hadn't even had the opportunity to ask Naruto out, so busy had team seven been.

However, when all was said and done, they were all satisfied with their readiness for the exams.

"You know, at some point, I need to get myself some kind of cloak or jacket that oozes 'cool' and 'mysterious', just so I don't stand out as much in this team," mumbled Sakura.

She was referring, of course, to the fact that Shino wore a heavy long coat at all times (probably to keep people from seeing the bugs crawling out of his body), and Naruto was in his full cloak and straw hat getup. He'd been switching between wearing the hat and not wearing it depending on how hot the day was; the hotter it was, the less likely he was to wear it.

Of course, she could understand him wearing the cloak—particularly the current version that cut out the cutesy foxes in favor of more fearsome looking ones of red and gold—when they were heading into the exams. If she didn't know Naruto as well as she did, she'd probably be at least a tad scared of him.

Sakura herself was mostly dressed the same as usual, but she'd added quite a few equipment pouches to her usual attire, and there was a container slung across her back

"I'm sure we can find you something," said Naruto. "Just to warn you though, it _does_ get kind of hot in this thing."

"Indeed," agreed Shino. "Were my body not the way it is, I would likely be far more uncomfortable in this warmth then I am."

"You two are creepy. I'm _so_ glad you're on my side."

With that, the three walked into the academy, where the first stage of the exam was to be held.

Now, they expected oddities—after all, their home village was filled with ninja from foreign countries. What they didn't expect… was for the second floor to have a room with '302' above it, surrounded by a crowd of genin getting pushed around by a pair of genin standing in front of the door.

"Please, just let us through," said a girl with black hair pulled into a pair of buns. She was helping a boy with a thick bowl-shaped haircut and green spandex get back to his feet.

"That begging of yours is pathetic," said one of the two standing in front of the door. "The Chūnin Exams are tough. We should know; we've failed them before ourselves. Do yourselves a favor and go home."

"Excuse me," said Naruto, stepping forward slightly and drawing everyone's attention. "But could you do me a favor and let the _actual_ exams knock people out of the running?"

"And what's it to you, kid?"

"Well… not too much," admitted Naruto. "But I spent years in this academy. It does sort of rub me the wrong way when you go around mislabeling doors. Sakura, Shino?"

The next thing anyone knew, there were two kunai held at the throats of each of the genin blocking the door, and there were also bugs crawling all over them. The two froze in shock.

"When did you three…?"

The kunai were each held by a clone of Naruto or a clone of Sakura, one for each of the two. Team seven looked almost bored.

"While we were sitting here debating," said Naruto. "Isn't **Henge no Jutsu** fun? Anyways, allow me…" Naruto formed the ram seal and forcibly dispelled the genjutsu, revealing the numbers '202' on the sign above the door instead of '302'.

"Now, for those who want to stop wasting time, there are three sets of stairs readily accessed from here. They are that way, that way and this way. See you all later."

With that, team seven turned and walked towards the last set of stairs Naruto had pointed out. The other genin all watched them walk off in surprise.

"So… that was Hatake Kakashi's genin squad?" murmured one of the two genin as the bugs and clones pulled away. The Naruto clones flickered out of existence, while the two Sakura clones dissolved to water that proceeded to follow team seven, freaking out almost everyone present.

"Okay, that is just _creepy_," muttered one genin.

"Hatake Kakashi's squad…" murmured another one. "Neji, Tenten-san, please go on without me. I wish to inquire further."

"Okay, but remember what you said about keeping a low profile," said Tenten.

"Lee, share with us whatever information you find on them," ordered Hyūga Neji.

"I will," said Rock Lee before proceeding after team seven.

* * *

"You're late," said Sasuke when team seven arrived at classroom 302 fifteen minutes later. He looked rather irritable, which could be understood, seeing as Ino was attached to his back and nuzzling her cheek against his neck. It looked like she'd been doing this for several minutes.

"Sorry," said Naruto. "Got a little held up by a freaky genin with a bowl for hair, exaggeratedly bushy eyebrows and nightmare-inducing green spandex."

"Ino, you should really get off Sasuke-kun," said Sakura. "Not to say you're heavy or anything, but he can't hold you up forever, and he may need his strength for the exam."

"But he's _so_ adorable when he's angry!" said Ino, smiling as she continued to nuzzle his neck. Sasuke visibly twitched as most of the others chuckled slightly.

"Fair enough," said Sakura evenly. "I really don't care much one way or the other. _I_ got enough eye candy last week to last me the next six months."

Naruto blushed, Shino twitched, and the other rookies all stared at Sakura in complete confusion.

"I… I don't want to know…" said Ino. Sakura smirked.

"Oh, believe me, you _do_," she said. "But that's okay, because I'm… not… telling." As she finished, Sakura's smirk dissolved into a smile sweet enough to give the average person a toothache.

"You're damn right you're not," growled Naruto. "That… _never_… happened."

"Alright, now I'm curious: _what_ happened?" asked Kiba.

"_Nothing_," hissed Shino. He caught almost everyone by surprise, but Naruto and Sakura had expected it. "_Nothing_ happened. Ever. It was irritating, it was random, it was completely pointless, and you're never going to know."

"I… I don't think I've ever heard Shino say that much at one time in my life," said Kiba. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"It must've been something big," commented Ino. "He's denying it happened and ranting about it at the same time."

"Could you just get off of me?"

"Nah, you're back is more comfortable than you'd think."

"Ino, as troublesome as this exam is, Chōji and I would like our teammate to be in good condition during the whole thing."

"I don't weigh that much. He'll be fine."

"Get _off_ Ino."

A weak chuckling drew the attention of the rookies to an older bespectacled Konoha genin with silver hair approaching them.

"You're a rather strange group," he said. "But a word of advice: you shouldn't gather in large groups. It makes you look weak; also, some of the other genin seem to be getting a little irritated." The rookies looked the way he was pointing, and sure enough, there were quite a few ninja glaring at them. Reluctantly, Ino slid off of Sasuke's back, deciding she'd had her fun at this point and she should act a bit more serious.

"So… who are you?" asked Naruto.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto," he said. "And the nine of you are the rookies who graduated just a few months back, correct?"

"That's right," said Kiba. "First rookies to be nominated in years!"

"While that is impressive, this isn't a field trip," said Kabuto seriously. "Many of the genin here are from foreign villages that we're barely friendly with. They won't hesitate to kill you."

"Bah! They can't be any worse than facing these three maniacs," said Kiba, jabbing a finger at team seven.

"Is that right? Well, you'll find out soon enough I'm sure," said Kabuto.

"Kabuto-san, is this your second time?" asked Sakura. Kabuto chuckled, somewhat sheepishly.

"Actually… it's my seventh," he admitted.

"Seventh?" questioned Sasuke. "You can't possibly be weak enough to fail that easily, can you?"

"Not so much 'weak' as 'facing impossible odds'," said Kabuto, crouching down as he pulled out a deck of cards and laid one on the ground. The card itself was blank. "Nin info cards; I've been in so many exams I've gotten good at collecting information on the fly. The information is hidden so only I can reveal it. Like so." He pushed a little chakra into the card, revealing a map of the region in which the five major shinobi countries lay. There were lines from several of the countries within that region, all connecting to a symbol with a number beneath it, the numbers ranging from three to seventy-two, but all multiples of three.

"These are the numbers of shinobi participating in the exam and which country they're from," said Kabuto. "All total, there are a hundred and fifty-three participants, a little on the small size for the usual exams. So, there are fifty-one teams total… but even in larger exams, it's unusual for more than twenty to pass the first exam. The second generally cuts out at least seventy-five percent of those remaining. It's unusual for their to be more than a dozen or so genin left to take on the third exam, and while at that point it's no longer based on teams, only about half of those to take on the third exam manage the promotion."

"… okay, I concede: you can be strong and still not go anywhere," said Sasuke. Kabuto chuckled.

"Like I said: facing impossible odds," he said. "I've actually made it through the first two several times, but the second one typically hits me so hard that I'm not able to take the third one."

"Ouch," commented Naruto.

"Kabuto, do you have cards on specific ninja?" asked Sasuke.

"Is there someone you'd like to know more about?"

"At this point… yes. Uzumaki Naruto."

"I'll take your interest as a compliment."

Kabuto chuckled as he pulled out a card.

"When you know their names, it's easier," he said. "But it does take a lot of the fun out of it. So, let's see what I have on you, Naruto-kun." He pushed his chakra into the card and started to read it.

"Hmm… I'll skip over the obvious," he said. "Mission experience, nineteen D-rank, three C-rank and one A-rank… wait, an A-rank as a genin? You'll have to explain that one to me. The way I make the cards causes me to miss a lot of the information that goes on them. Teammates are Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino; jōnin sensei is Hatake Kakashi. Now, for abilities…" Kabuto blinked, taking off his glasses and cleaning them before putting them back on.

"Um… wow… initially high in all four non-kekkei genkai fields," said Kabuto. "Some growth in taijutsu, genjutsu and ninja tool usage, but considerable growth in the field of ninjutsu; if this info is accurate, then you might have the best ninjutsu skills of all the genin participating, in spite of being only three months out of the academy. I'm impressed, Naruto-kun."

"I cheated," said Naruto lightly. "I'd like to know about two as well; Rock Lee from Konoha, and Gaara from Suna."

"Okay… let's see…" He pulled out two additional cards. "We'll start with Rock Lee."

Pushing his chakra into the card, Kabuto began to read it.

"He's a year older than you guys. Mission experience is twenty-nine D-rank and eleven C-rank. Teammates are Tenten, a war orphan, and Hyūga Neji; jōnin sensei is Maito Gai. His taijutsu has improved greatly over the last year, but the rest is nothing impressive, subpar even. Last year, he gained attention as a talented genin, but did not participate in the exams, so like you, it's his first time."

"So, a taijutsu specialist?" said Naruto. Kabuto nodded as he pulled up the next card.

"Now, this next one is Sabaku no Gaara; not sure where that title came from, but it seems pretty firmly attached. Mission experience is eight C-rank and one B-rank… wow, I guess there really _are_ a lot of talented genin in these exams. His teammates are his siblings, Kankurō and Temari; I don't know who their sensei is. This is the first time he's participated, and he's from a foreign nation, so I don't have much more info on him. But… well, there is _one_ interesting bit: it seems that he came back from all his missions unharmed."

"He came back unharmed from a B-rank mission as a genin?" questioned Shikamaru.

"The rest of you should be careful of that guy," said Naruto. "He's… well, to put it one way, think of him as being like me, only more violent or outright murderous, completely insane, and entirely unrestrained."

"Got it: don't mess with the creepy sand guy," said Kiba.

"Is there anyone else you'd like info on? I can tell you about pretty much everyone except the genin from Oto. That village is small and extremely new, so I don't know what to expect from them, but probably nothing _too_ serious."

"Lee-kun said his teammate Neji was probably the strongest genin in the exams," said Sakura. "Could we see his info?"

"Sure… okay, Hyūga Neji, mission experience is the same as Lee's and you know the team info. His ninjutsu, genjutsu and tool usage are only average, but he's extremely skilled in taijutsu and the Hyūga kekkei genkai, the Byakugan. Even though he's a member of the branch house, he's recognized as a prodigy of the highest level."

"With the Uchiha Clan wiped out and the Senju Clan nearly extinct, the Hyūga are undisputedly the strongest clan of Konoha," commented Sasuke. "For him to be considered a prodigy in that clan… he really must be strong."

"Don't tell me you're scared, Sasuke," said Naruto. Sasuke smirked.

"Not at all," he said. "In fact… I think I'd like to spar with him at some point."

"Be careful if you do," said Naruto. "Rock Lee convinced me to have a spar with him—no, I'm _not_ telling you how," no one noticed Sakura's blush, "and if it hadn't been stopped by his sensei when it was, then he'd probably have hurt me pretty badly regardless of who won."

"Being weary is good advice," agreed Kabuto, gathering up the cards. "All the ninja here are the top elites among the genin from each village. They're not here without good reason."

"I'm starting to lose confidence…" murmured Hinata.

"Hey, it's a little late to say that, don't you think?" said Ino. "Don't worry; Kiba and I will help you through these exams and we'll all be chūnin before you know it."

Kabuto chuckled.

"I admire your confidence, but remember, less than a dozen out of the hundred and fifty-three people here are actually gonna reach the final exam, and even then, that's no guarantee for them to actually _get_ promoted."

At that moment, an explosion of smoke towards the front of the room drew the attention of all the genin.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." As the smoke cleared, everyone got their first look at the speaker, a man wearing a trenchcoat and a bandana covering his head with large scars running across his face. He was surrounded by a large group of chūnin.

"I am Morino Ibiki," he said. "I will be the proctor for the first test of this Chūnin Selection Exam." He grinned, somewhat sadistically. "Since I've heard this is the most talented batch of genin in years, I've been given permission to be especially nasty. We'll get to that part later. For now though… it's time to begin the Chūnin Selection Exams."

* * *

Kakashi stared up at the Hokage Monument from the viewing platform situated beneath it. The four men whose faces were chiseled into that mountain were the best and brightest the Leaf had ever produced. There was a face Kakashi hoped to see there some years down the line, but for now, he'd have to wait for that day just as his student would.

The cycloptean jōnin shifted slightly as he sensed the presence approaching behind him.

"You know… when I asked if you'd meet me here, I honestly didn't think you'd have the time," he said softly.

"And miss the opportunity to discuss those marvelous genin under your command?" said Hiruzen with a small chuckle as he stepped up to the railing next to Kakashi. "Not a chance. So, what is it you wished to speak to me about?"

"A few things," said Kakashi. "First, I was wondering if you could share with me the identity of Naruto's old senseis. I've respected his privacy in the matter, but I've been doing some thinking ever since we returned from Nami, and… I don't feel I can make an informed decision with what I know right now."

"I see," said Hiruzen. "Naruto told me about his senseis. However, for various reasons, I cannot share the details. Sufficed to say that, while the integrity of his past teachers is more in question than you could possibly guess, Naruto is unharmed and the education he received was most assuredly of the highest possible level."

"Mmm…"

"Why are you asking this? What is it that you've been thinking about?"

Kakashi sighed, looking to the face of his late sensei carved into the mountain.

"A few weeks ago, Naruto told Sakura and Shino about the Kyūbi," he said. Hiruzen nodded, having already guessed at that. "He later asked me if I knew why Minato-sensei chose him… I couldn't lie to him. I _know_ the truth. But I didn't feel I had the right to tell him, and Naruto didn't seem ready for the answer anyways. I did promise that I would tell him if no one else would… however, Naruto said that when he was ready, he wanted me to tell him." Kakashi looked down. "He said… that I was the closest thing he felt he'd ever had to a father."

Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi before focusing on the face of his successor and predecessor.

"He may be right," said Hiruzen softly. "I was always busy and Iruka shunned Naruto as well for a long time. I seem to recall a certain masked jōnin reaching out to a lonely child and taking him for an enjoyable meal about… oh, I guess it would be about eight years ago now, wouldn't it?"

"I guess it's to be expected you would've known about that," said Kakashi. "Really, there are times I feel I should go back and slap my younger self for not just taking him in."

"You had your reasons; we all did," said Hiruzen. "For some, perhaps they were just excuses. For others, they were very real fears. I believe you fall into that second category. Regardless, things seem to have turned out well, in the end, and I guess you have this chance to rectify your past mistakes."

"Perhaps," said Kakashi. "Hokage-sama, do you think I should be the one to tell him? Do you think I really have that right?"

"You are the one he wants to hear it from," said Hiruzen. "_You_ are the prize student of Namikaze Minato. _You_ are one of the few individuals to know the truth of Naruto's lineage and why the Yondaime would choose an infant not even an hour old to become the vessel for the most powerful of all the primordial demons of our world. I do not think there is anyone who has _more_ right to tell Naruto the truth than you do."

"I… thank you, Hokage-sama."

* * *

A written test. Now, Naruto was not the smartest person around. Prior to his two-year absence, he was a bit of an idiot, due to a poor education and lack of determination in the academic field, but by the time of his return, he had a lifetime's worth of academics crammed into his skull.

So, a written test was unlikely to be a problem at all for him. As Ibiki explained the rules, Naruto quickly determined that if there _were_ any problems he and his teammates couldn't answer, it would be a paltry task to cheat the answers without losing enough points to fail.

Of course, then the test actually began…

"What… is this?" questioned Naruto softly. These questions couldn't possibly be answered by the average genin. Granted, the idea was that these people were supposed to be tested for chūnin-level qualifications, but this was still a tad too far…

For awhile, Naruto just stared at the paper, wondering what was up, as everyone else around him did their best to answer… then, it hit Naruto, like a barrel of bricks, and it took everything he had not to slam his head into the desk at his own stupidity in not seeing it sooner.

"Go… figure…" he muttered to himself. He took a quick glance around, spotting Shino and Sakura quickly. They seemed to be fine, and he could answer most of the questions just fine as well. There were two, however, that he would need a bit of help for.

So, with that in mind, he created a shadow clone disguised as a fly; oh, the wonders of properly utilized combo ninjutsu. Now he just needed to let the fly search out someone with all the answers, read their paper, then dispel itself.

Not five minutes later, Naruto had answered all nine questions. He glanced at the clock, and was shocked to realize it had taken him fifteen minutes to figure out the actual goal.

He again had to refrain from bashing his own skull in with the desk. It had already been amply proven that no amount of damage would actually make his skull thinner.

Well, he really didn't have much to do for the remaining twenty-five minutes… so he decided to go ahead and scope out the competition with more 'flies'.

Now, he had nothing better to do than relax for the next half hour or so…

* * *

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma sat in the Konoha Jōnin Lounge, taking the chance to relax while their students were taking the exams. Scattered about the lounge were the jōnin senseis of the other twenty-one Konoha teams participating.

"Now that our subordinates are gone… it's pretty dull, isn't it?" commented Kakashi idly, though half his mind was on his earlier discussion with the Hokage.

"We'll be busy again soon enough," said Asuma.

"What? You don't think they'll make it through the first exam?" asked Kurenai.

"If I'd known at the time… well, I'd probably have nominated them anyway," said Asuma. "But it turns out this year's first examiner is Morino Ibiki."

"That sadist huh?"

"Sadist?" questioned Kurenai.

"Yeah," said Asuma. "You were only recently promoted, so I guess it's understandable that you wouldn't know. But Ibiki… well, put simply, he's a pro."

"A pro? At what?"

"Torture and interrogation," answered Asuma.

"What?"

"Even though there won't be any physical torture in the exams… I imagine quite a few people are feeling the mental stress at this point."

"Yes," said Kakashi. "The head of the ANBU torture and interrogation squad, Morino Ibiki… seems like overkill for mere genin." However, Kakashi chuckled. "But I doubt my students will have any problems. Sasuke will probably be fine as well. The others I'm not so sure of, especially Hinata."

"If anything, Shikamaru's probably too lazy to care… though he's also lazy enough that I imagine he might quit anyways. As for Chōji, that's more difficult to say."

"Kiba and Ino will probably be fine… I doubt Hinata will let them down."

* * *

Naruto sat at the desk, impatiently tapping the eraser of his pencil against it as he waited for the clock to hit 1:45, the forty-five minute mark for the test, when Ibiki would finally give them the tenth question.

When the clock finally hit 1:45, Ibiki smirked suddenly.

"Looks like we already dropped the incompetent ones," he said lightly. "I will now give the final question, since forty-five minutes have already passed."

_Crap… Kankurō… you better get back here soon…_ thought Temari; her brother had asked to go to the bathroom, though that was just a ploy for him to get the answers.

"_But…_" said Ibiki, "before that, there is one thing I must say: there will be a special rule for this last question."

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, and Kankurō reentered with his chūnin escort. Ibiki's perpetual smirk grew slightly as he stared at Kankurō.

"You're lucky," he said. "You're little puppet show doesn't have to go to waste. Oh well. Sit down." With a slight nod, Kankurō did so, passing by Temari's seat on the way to his own. As he did so, he dropped a small roll of paper on her desk.

"I will now explain what you are dealing with," said Ibiki as the Suna genin took his seat. "This is a 'hopeless' rule." Ibiki turned to face the window. "Here's how it's going to work: first, you all get to choose whether or not you want to take it. Refusal to take on the problem will reduce your points to zero, failing you and both your teammates. And second, the reason some of you might be better off not taking it anyway: if you take it and fail to answer… you will lose the privilege to participate in the Chūnin Exams ever again!"

Gasps filled the room as several of the participants began to tremble.

"That's bull!" shouted Kiba. "There are people here who have been in the exam before!"

"I only said you'd lose the privilege if you failed to answer; if someone had been in this position, they wouldn't be here," said Ibiki. "But while you're argument is wrong, what is true is that no one here has faced this hopeless rule before. Those presiding over the exams are constantly changing… and you were unfortunate enough to get _me_ for this exam. This year, _I_ am the rule, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Ibiki looked them all over.

"But you should look on the bright side: at least I'm kind enough to give you the chance to back away. You can try again next year if you want… or the year after that even. After all, there's always next time for you. If you want to leave, just raise your hand."

Most of the participants were starting to sweat. Humorously, Naruto was among them, because he was wearing a heavy cloak, a straw hat that covered his primary heat release vent (his head) and this classroom had poor air conditioning. That said, Naruto was completely unconcerned himself.

Trembling, the genin sitting on Naruto's left raised his hand.

"I… I… I quit! I won't take it!" he said.

"Number 50, fail," said one of the chūnin examiners off to the side. "Number 111 and 130 fail along with him."

"I'm sorry… Genai… Inaho…" said the genin who'd just quit, while his teammates both stood up. "Damn it…"

"Me too!" came another voice suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to a genin raising his hands. Several of those around him raised their hands as well. As the teams cleared out, Naruto sighed before glancing around, looking for any others that might quit.

It was then that he noticed two of his friends who seemed uncertain of themselves: Hinata and Chōji.

That made some sense… Hinata was shy, meek and submissive. Her confidence had improved since becoming a genin, but Naruto could still see a great deal of the person she'd been before he left Konoha. And Chōji… he also lacked self-confidence, though not nearly to the same extent. But his greatest fear, no doubt, was what would happen if he took the question, failed, and dragged his teammates out with him.

There were others, too, trembling, uncertain, like frightened children. Naruto felt his hand clench into a fist as he stood up.

"Hmm? Are you giving up as well?" asked Ibiki. Naruto shook his head slightly as he removed his hat.

"No," he said calmly. "I just thought… well, you've been the one doing all the talking; only receiving a question or two along the way. So, now I'll do the talking."

"If you have something to say, then feel free."

"Yeah, I do," said Naruto. "Screw you."

"Excuse me?"

"Screw you and your stupid hopeless rule," said Naruto. "I'm not scared of you; I'm no coward who runs away from dangerous situations. I… am a proud shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, the mightiest of all the ninja villages! From the day I was born, I've carried a burden that most shinobi couldn't even conceive of and in that burden I was entrusted with a legacy. I will not fail my friends; I will not disappoint those who have granted me their legacy; I will not shame my teachers or what family I have. Even if you can present a question that I couldn't hope to answer, even if you manage to trap me as a genin forever, I will take your challenge head-on."

Naruto glared at Ibiki.

"I… am Uzumaki Naruto, student of Hatake Kakashi and future Hokage of this village! _Nothing_ you do will ever change that; if fate says otherwise, then I will fight whatever forces it uses to try and stop me and I will win! So throw whatever you have at me Ibiki-san; I'm ready for it."

Ibiki looked over all the genin present; almost all were staring at Naruto with looks of admiration. It took everything he had to conceal his satisfied smirk.

"Bold words, Uzumaki Naruto," he said. "Can you really back them up? This decision, this moment, could very well decide the course of your life."

"I can back them up," said Naruto calmly. "I'll say it again: I am no coward. I will never run from my problems; I will not back down from a challenge without good reason. Your power to trap me at my current rank doesn't frighten me. I told you: I am a proud shinobi of Konoha, and I have a legacy to live up to. I refuse to run from it; that is my Way of the Ninja."

There was no more uncertainty; although Naruto had spoken of burdens and legacies that couldn't be applied to others, his fiercest words—that he was a proud shinobi—were ones that resonated with all those here. The looks of admiration he was getting, the confidence he had given to everyone…

Ibiki stepped forward slightly, eyeing the participants. No one else was going to quit, he could see it in their eyes. Seventy-eight genin… far more than he'd expected.

_Interesting kid… he's got what it takes to be a chūnin… and a Hokage_, thought Ibiki. _Looks like_ _there's no point in waiting any longer._

He glanced at the chūnin examiners, who were all smiling slightly. They gave him slight nods, indicating their agreement with his conclusions.

"Nice determination," said Ibiki. "Then… for the first exam, everyone here…" Ibiki finally allowed the smile he'd been holding back to form "passes."

It took everything he had not to laugh at the looks of shock he was getting.

"Wait a minute!" said Sakura, standing to her feet. "We pass already? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki couldn't hold it in any longer; he let out a small laugh.

"If there _was_ a tenth question, then it was the one I already asked," he said. "Do you stay and take a chance, or do you walk away and hope to do better next time?"

"Then why even have the other nine questions?" demanded Temari. "It was pointless!"

"It was _not_ pointless," said Ibiki. "That part of the test has already served his purpose. Tell me, how many of you were able to answer without cheating at all? And no, you won't be suddenly failed if you did cheat; like I said, everyone here passes."

Two hands rose into the air—Haruno Sakura and Nara Shikamaru. Ibiki smirked.

"These questions couldn't be answered by an ordinary genin," said Ibiki. "The purpose was to test your information gathering abilities. As long as you had at least one point left over, you were fine; you only lost two points for cheating. If your ability to gather information is good, then you need only cheat once to gather all the information you need, losing only two points. Or, if your method can't be spotted, you can get by with all points intact. Either way, if you got caught too many times or messed up your information, you failed."

"And the tenth question?" asked Sasuke.

"To take the chance or not to take it," said Ibiki. "In place of that, let me present a scenario to you: you've been given a mission to acquire an object from an enemy fortress. Your enemies are likely ninja, but you don't know their numbers or their strengths. They probably have traps waiting. Your unit is the most qualified to take the mission, but it's a high risk mission, and there's a good chance you or your comrades could die. Do you take the mission, or wait for a safer one?"

Silence followed that before, with a sigh, Naruto finally sat back down.

"You take it," he said softly. Ibiki nodded.

"For a chūnin, there is no choice," he said. "You must take the mission. Those who don't have the guts to risk everything… have no right to become chūnin. That is my belief. You all proved better than that, so congratulations. I wish you luck in the remaining exams."

A moment later, an object came hurtling through the window, catching all the genin off-guard. That object was a large banner wrapped around a human body. The person within threw a pair of kunai attached to the banner into the ceiling, hanging it up as she came to a halt, blocking Ibiki from view and standing up with a cold expression.

"Everybody, there's no time to be happy!" said the woman. "I am the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko. Let's go to the next exam." She punched her fist into the air. "Follow me!"

No one listened to her… partially because she hadn't moved after that statement, and partially because they were too busy staring at her in shock.

_This… is what I used to act like… did I really make myself look so stupid all the time?_ wondered Naruto.

Of course, he'd never worn an outfit quite like _that_. Suddenly, his bright orange jumpsuits didn't seem so absurd, when compared against Anko's choice of fishnet and long coat.

"Grasp the atmosphere, Anko," said Ibiki, stepping out from behind the banner, catching sight of Anko, unmoving and blushing in embarrassment as she caught on.

Letting out an irritated sigh, Anko let her hand fall as she started counting the remaining genin.

"Seventy-eight?" she questioned. "Ibiki, you let twenty-six teams pass? The first exam must've been too soft."

"There are a lot of talented students this time around," said Ibiki. Anko shook her head slightly before refocusing on the genin.

"Oh well," she said. "I'll be cutting their numbers at least in half anyways."

"At least in half?" echoed Sakura softly. Most of the genin were starting to look nervous again. Anko smirked.

"That's better," she said. "Hah… I'm getting excited. I'll explain the second test to all of you when we arrive at the new testing grounds. So, seriously this time: follow me."

* * *

Anko led the genin across Konoha, to an enormous fenced off area. There was an ominous aura coming from the forest behind the fence. Signs posted about the area marked it as off-limits. Beyond any doubt, a place as grim as any Naruto had ever seen.

"Welcome…" said Anko, "to the staging ground for the second phase of the Chūnin Selection Exams: Konoha's 44th Training Zone… otherwise known as the Forest of Death."

Several of the genin shuddered, and Anko's faint smirk grew.

"Don't worry," she said. "You'll all be learning personally why this place was given a nickname like that."

* * *

**Author's Notes: That was fun; I know it's not at all ominous when you know everything, but this felt like a good place to end it.**

**Now, first things first: for the "contests": the first is: design a new outfit for Sakura! When you get down to it, her getup is lacking the awesome of Naruto's and Shino's. The second "contest" is original ninjutsu; canon likes to settle things with fists and spamming the same few techniques over and over, so there's a limited selection. Feel free to submit any jutsu ideas you have to me (preferably via PM) and if I like it, I'll use it, and you shall recieve credit for that technique.**

**Moving on, there wasn't exactly much to do here, so I wound up with a lot of talking going on instead. Also, a reminder: Naruto isn't dumb, and is pretty clever when he wants to be, but he isn't a genius the way Shikamaru is, and can still be pretty thick-skulled about some things (for example, Sakura's growing feelings for him; to be fair, those could easily be brushed off as wishful thinking).**

**Regarding the encounter with Rock Lee, I could've written it out, especially since many small aspects are very different from canon… but then I decided it would be more fun to leave exactly what happened ambiguous.**

**Finally, to end things here, the current list of jutsu known to the genin of team seven (note that Naruto having summoning is not a retcon… I was just an idiot and forgot to put it in on the last list; the class ranking of Kaze Bunshin _is_ a retcon).**

**Please leave a review! ^_^  
**

* * *

**Character Jutsu List:**

**NARUTO:**  
**Bunshin Daibakuha** (Clone Great Explosion) A-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, developed and taught by Uchiha Itachi  
**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) A-rank Supplementary Kinjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Kaze Bunshin no Jutsu** (Wind Clone Technique) A-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu** (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique) A-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique) B-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Suiton: Suigadan** (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Katon: Karyūendan** (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Suirō no Jutsu** (Water Prison Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** (Water Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu** (Earth Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) C-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique) C-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kuchiyose no Jutsu** (Summoning Technique) C-rank All-Purpose Ninjutsu, contract signed with unknown summon race, taught by Kazekaika Mai  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Mirāken** (Mirror Fist) Elite Taijutsu Style, developed and taught by Kazekaika Mai

**SAKURA:**  
**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu** (Cherry Blossom Blizzard Technique) A-rank Offensive Combination Jutsu, self-developed  
**Magen: Jubaku Satsu** (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death) B-rank Genjutsu, taught by Yūhi Kurenai  
**Suiton: Suijinheki** (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall) B-rank Defensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique) B-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Uzumaki Naruto  
**Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu** (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique) C-rank Genjutsu, taught by Yūhi Kurenai  
**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** (Water Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Uzumaki Naruto  
**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu** (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique) D-rank Genjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kirigakure no Jutsu** (Hiding in Mist Technique) D-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Ou Mizu no Jutsu** (Trailing Water Technique) D-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, self-developed  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Mirāken** (Mirror Fist) Elite Taijutsu Style, taught by Uzumaki Naruto

**SHINO:**  
**Doton: Dochūbaku** (Earth Release: Landslide) B-rank Offensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Doton: Doryūheki** (Earth Release: Earth-style Wall) B-rank Defensive Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique) B-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Uzumaki Naruto  
**Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu** (Earth Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Ninjutsu, taught by Hatake Kakashi  
**Kikai Bunshin no Jutsu** (Insect Clone Technique) C-rank Supplementary Hiden Jutsu  
**Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-rank Supplementary Academy Ninjutsu  
**Kikaichū no Jutsu** (Destruction Bug Host Technique) Unranked Offensive, Defensive and Supplementary Hiden Jutsu


	10. The Second Exam

**Yay! I managed to write this one surprisingly fast (as in, less than twenty-four hours). I was pretty surprised, since I'd expected it to take longer.**

**Minor spoiler: for those who wanted a bit more spotlight for teams eight and ten, here you go.**

**Also, I've basically finished my core revisions to the early chapters, bringing down the power levels of a few characters and more firmly cementing Mai's personality. She now pretends to be an utterly insane woman with delusions of godhood. Mostly for the amusement factor; her "act" is kind of my way of parodying god mode OCs, which Mai previously was due to early installment weirdness. Now, she's not.**

**Anyways, enjoy this everyone, and Happy New Years! Welcome to 2012! P.S.: This year went _way_ too fast.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

Seventy-eight genin, thirty chūnin and one tokubetsu jōnin stood outside the decrepit main gates of Konoha's 44th Training Zone. Beyond the gates and the fencing, the Forest of Death loomed ominously before them.

"Before anything else," said Anko as the chūnin walked forward carrying stacks of paper. "I need all of you to sign these waivers; failure to do so will fail you and your team."

"What are the waivers for?" asked one genin, accepting a waiver from one of the chūnin. Anko smirked.

"Oh, not much," she said lightly. "They just mean you recognize the danger and absolve me of all guilt if you happen to get killed." The genin who spoke up gulped.

"We're not children any more," said Naruto, looking at the genin in question. "We're ninja; danger is a part of our lives. If you don't have the guts for it, then walk away."

"You either got courage or sense," said Anko. Suddenly, she tossed a kunai at Naruto's head, not caring that the hat he wore blocked off most of her vision of his face.

The blond reacted by tilting his body back slightly. As the kunai shot past, a tendril of red chakra emerged from beneath Naruto's cloak, forming into a clawed hand that snatched the kunai from the air.

"You dropped this," said Naruto casually as he tossed it back to her. As more genin shuddered at what had happened and a few stared at Naruto wide-eyed, Anko let out a small laugh, catching the kunai.

"I've heard stories about you," she said. "I'm glad they're not overblown. Oh, I can't _wait_ to see your performance in the remaining exams."

"I aim to please," said Naruto dryly.

"Excellent," said Anko. "Now, if your team has signed their waivers, head into that booth over there and hand them in. You'll receive one of two scrolls, heaven or earth." As she spoke, she held up two scrolls, a white one with the kanji for heaven and a black one with the kanji for earth. "Don't open the scroll you receive. There will be a total of thirteen scrolls of each kind; the goal in this exam is to reach the tower at the center of the training zone, a ten kilometer trek, with at least one heaven and one earth scroll." Eyes widened all around.

"So… that's what you meant when you said you'd be cutting out at least half?" questioned Sakura. Anko nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "Since there are only thirteen full sets, only half of you can pass. And that assumes no scrolls are destroyed by what's lurking around inside, _and_ that half the teams can get the right scrolls. You have a five day time limit—anyone still inside the forest at that time will be failed, even if you have every single scroll, even if no one has reached the tower. If you open either scroll, you will fail automatically. Am I understood?"

"Yes!"

"Good," said Anko. "Let's start." Anko glanced around as the teams started to move forward and smirked. She kept a particular eye on team seven.

_Ibiki's right_, she thought. _That kid __**is**__ interesting…_

Team seven was the first group to reach the covered booth, the chūnin stopping anyone else from entering. They handed in their waivers, and the chūnin handed Sakura a heaven scroll. The three shared a brief glance before nodding slightly. As they turned away, Sakura handed the scroll to Naruto to conceal, briefly drawing the eyes of the chūnin, who thus failed to notice as a group of small bugs flew from Shino's sleeves and landed on the earth scrolls.

The kikaichū bred fast and lived only a few hours each; the thirteen female kikaichū were all relatively newborn. They'd last long enough. It was fortunate for team seven that they needed an earth scroll, since the kikaichū could hide more effectively on them than the heaven scrolls.

After leaving the booth, team seven moved away from the crowd. Those who passed through the booth joined them.

"Team eight and Team Gai have both received earth scrolls," said Shino quietly. "Yakushi-san's team, Gaara's team and the Oto team have also received earth scrolls."

"Kabuto-san has experience and we don't want to cross Gaara yet," said Naruto. "Team Gai's a dangerous prospect as well; I'd rather not bully team eight either. The Oto nin are an unknown."

"What about other targets? How many teams from each village received the remaining eight earth scrolls?" asked Sakura.

"Both teams from Kusa, the remaining team from Taki, two teams from Ame, one team from Suna and two teams from Konoha," said Shino. Naruto nodded.

"We won't know more until things start," he said. "We'll pursue the closest scroll; if we think it's too risky, we'll try to find another one."

"Alright, everyone's got their scrolls now!" shouted Anko. "I've already explained how this works. Once you're inside, you're on your own. There's plenty of food to be found in there—you simply have to kill it or pick it. But do be careful… I hear some of the animals and flora can be quite poisonous." Anko licked her lips. "Remember, you signed those waivers. If you die, it's your own damn fault. Neither myself, nor your killer, will be held responsible."

Anko glanced at her watch.

"We begin in thirty minutes," she said. "Each of you, follow the chūnin who comes to pick you up to your gates. You'll start there, but not a moment before you hear my announcement that we're starting. Now, get going!"

* * *

"Quite the group you three gave me," said Ibiki, stepping into the jōnin lounge, his words directed to Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma.

"Ibiki," said Kakashi. "So, all our subordinates passed?"

"With flying colors," said Ibiki with a small smirk. "Haruno Sakura and Nara Shikamaru even managed it without having to cheat. Among your students, the only ones caught cheating were Inuzuka Kiba and Yamanaka Ino." Kurenai let out a faint sigh.

"So, information gathering this year, huh?" said Kakashi. He glanced at Kurenai.

"You shouldn't feel bad," said Asuma. "But Ino and Kiba are a lot less subtle. You had to realize that."

"Yes," agreed Kurenai. "I wonder how Naruto managed it."

"Naruto can combine transformation with shadow clone," said Kakashi. His three companions froze in shock, and he had to suppress a chuckle. "What? You mean after everything you've learned, you can _still_ be surprised that he can do the impossible? Shame on you."

"Three words I never thought I'd hear from Kakashi," muttered Asuma. "Damn that brat, he's turning the village on its head and he's not even trying."

"Some of the other ANBU tried bribing me into interrogating him on how he managed to paint headquarters _twice_ without getting caught," commented Ibiki. "I heard a rumor that a few tried approaching the Hokage to have him added to their ranks after that incident."

Kakashi let out a low laugh.

"He's only getting started," promised Kakashi. "Just wait until Sakura and Shino join in on the fun."

Asuma and Kurenai shuddered, while Ibiki laughed lightly, looking forward to what would happen.

* * *

"Now!" came Anko's voice over speakers placed at each of the entry gates. "The Second Chūnin Selection Exam… begins!"

The gates flew open and twenty-six teams rushed forward. Most had no real direction, but there were some exceptions. The Eighth Graduate Squad soon came to a stop, allowing Hinata to use her Byakūgan to search the area around them. A team from Kusa rushed in the general direction of the gate the Tenth Graduate Squad had entered from.

The Seventh Graduate Squad immediately rushed towards the closest earth scroll, aware of the location of each and every one thanks to Shino's kikaichū.

The unfortunate team in question turned out to be the one from Takigakure. They were being cautious, but not nearly cautious enough to deal with a team trained by the legendary Hatake Kakashi.

"How do we do this?" whispered Naruto.

"I say we be merciful," said Sakura with a smirk that would've made Anko proud. "I had this thought recently and have been training a bit in private to experiment. I might exhaust myself since I'm still experimenting, but if I'm right, then I'll only need to hit once."

Naruto and Shino sighed.

"Alright, we'll make this quick," said Naruto, pulling out a sealing scroll. He released the item inside, drawing looks of shock from Sakura and Shino as they gazed at the object. Naruto smirked as he pulled out a bit of the Kyūbi's chakra.

* * *

Only a moment later, a scream of terror tore from somewhere within the forest. It was high-pitched to the point of being terrified beyond all reason. It caused all the teams that heard it to pause briefly, while Anko was childishly dancing to the scream like it was music.

"Team seven's gone to work," muttered Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto punched one Taki nin. Sakura punched the other. Both were sent flying clear out of the forest. Sakura collapsed, and Naruto rushed to her side, cancelling his previous transformation and working to feed some chakra to her with the item he'd pulled out earlier.

The last Taki nin, the one in possession of the scroll, was still screaming in high-pitched terror as Shino's kikaichū swung him around like a rag doll. The Aburame had created shadow clones, which included shadow clones of his disproportionate number of kikaichū, then threw all the kikaichū he could at the opponent and was using them like a whip. After a moment, the kikaichū managed to seize the earth scroll and Shino had them let the Taki nin go flying along with his comrades beyond the forest.

* * *

Anko sported a 'shit-eating grin' as she stared down at the immobile, groaning forms of the three Taki nin that had suddenly come flying out of the forest.

"Well, you're still alive," she commented cheerfully. "Did you have fun?"

"B-b-b-b-bakemono…" stuttered one unfortunate, traumatized genin. Anko just kept smiling.

* * *

"What _was_ that?" questioned Naruto as he helped Sakura to her feet. She gave a weak smile, and a small blush at being held up by a shirtless Naruto.

"Well, I remembered your enhanced strength at the bridge, the basic principles of chakra, and your explosive clones," she said. "So I thought 'what if I were to build up chakra and release it all at once in a punch?' I think that's how Tsunade-sama gets her legendary strength. To be honest, the level of chakra control is a bit beyond me, which is why I exhausted myself."

Naruto shook his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered. "You should focus on that before anything else. That strength is terrifying."

"Oh, come on! After what I just saw you do, superhuman strength isn't that impressive! Or terrifying… you know, for someone who doesn't want people to think of him as a monster, you certainly know how to look like one."

"Whatever," muttered Naruto. He looked at Shino, who held up the earth scroll, and nodded, letting go of Sakura. He first retrieved his shirt, cloak and hat, though he only put the first one back on initially, instead biting his right thumb to draw a bit of blood, which he then smeared on his left forearm.

He then formed five hand seals—Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey and Ram—in quick succession before smacking his open left hand on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**," he said. There was an explosion of smoke, and when it cleared, the summoned beast stood there.

"Beautiful…" whispered Sakura in awe. Shino's eyes were wide behind his glasses.

"Naruto-kun," said the beast, its voice deep and masculine. "It's been sometime. How have you been?"

"Great, Fuyuki-san," said Naruto as he put on his cloak and hat. "Listen, if it's not too much trouble, do you think you could give me and my friends a lift? We need to reach the tower at the center of this forest."

"No trouble at all," said Fuyuki. "We don't get to stretch much. Isamu might complain over you favoring Kikyō, but most of us are just grateful to get out from time to time."

"Thanks, Fuyuki-san," said Naruto, climbing onto Fuyuki's back. "Hey, Sakura, Shino, stop gaping and get on!"

* * *

Sasuke, Shikamaru and Chōji moved cautiously forward, knowing that one wrong move could spell disaster for them.

They'd put their heads together, and were quick to determine that they had several tactics available to them, ones that weren't mutually exclusive.

Their focus, for the moment, would be getting to the tower. Once there, they could lay down traps for those approaching from a certain angle. Next, they would setup some traps and let one of them, holding a fake scroll, stand in the midst of them in order to draw in people looking for a heaven scroll while the other two hid.

It was a simple, but effective tactic. A little on the slow side for Sasuke's personal tastes, but they'd concluded that it didn't matter how long they took—all that mattered was that they got to the tower with both scrolls before their five days were up. And, as time passed, more people would get desperate and risk a trap to get the scroll they needed.

Sasuke glanced at his teammates and let out a small sigh.

"Let's take a break," he said. "We don't want to be worn out at any point in here."

"Fine by me," said Shikamaru. Lazy ass…

"Thanks Sasuke," said Chōji, pulling out a bag of potato chips as they sat down.

Then, they heard another sudden scream of fright.

"We might want to keep track of that," commented Sasuke dryly. "Every scream means team seven's taken out another team."

* * *

Sasuke wasn't wrong—one group of fast-moving Ame genin somehow got ahead of team seven and launched an attack. Naruto, Sakura and Shino hadn't even moved—Fuyuki was more than happy to take out their opponents and toss the scroll up to the three.

"Heaven scroll… do we want to hold onto this? If we do, it guarantees that only twelve teams pass," said Naruto.

"One scroll probably won't matter much as to who passes in the grand scheme of things," said Sakura. She shrugged. "Personally, I don't care too much, but it would be a shame for team eight or ten to fail because there wasn't a heaven scroll left."

"Yeah," said Naruto lightly. As Fuyuki continued to carry them towards the tower at high speed, Naruto decided he'd discard the scroll when they got a bit closer.

* * *

It wasn't even an hour into the exam before team ten ran into trouble.

The three of them were on the ground, eyes wide with terror, practically paralyzed by fear from the raw killer intent they'd just experienced. Sasuke knew about the difference between illusionary and true killer intent, but never had he felt the second one so fiercely as just now.

What kind of monster was that ninja from Kusa?

"I expected more out of the famed Uchiha bloodline," said the ninja. He… she… _it_, really… had a look of disappointment. "Oh well… I guess this just means I'll have to kill you. You're obviously not strong enough. Don't worry; I'll make it nice and painless."

"Bastard…" muttered Sasuke as he tried to will his body to move.

"Heh." The Kusa nin pulled out a trio of kunai. However, just as he was about to throw them, his body froze. His eyes widened in shock.

Shikamaru panted as he glared at their opponent. His shadow was deformed, stretching across the clearing to touch that of the Kusa nin.

"I see," he said. "The Nara clan's famed shadow imitation technique. However, it won't save you."

"Sasuke, Chōji, can you move at all?" panted Shikamaru. "I don't know… how long I can hold him…"

Neither of them answered him, both trying to force their bodies to move.

Sasuke mustered up enough willpower to draw a kunai… which he then spun and stabbed into his own leg.

"Sasuke?" gasped Shikamaru. The Kusa nin looked surprised. Sasuke panted and withdrew the kunai.

"It's okay," he said. "I can move now. Shikamaru, hold him still for a minute longer."

Shikamaru nodded. Sasuke pulled his arm back and tossed the kunai at their foe before performing hand seals for the Uchiha signature ninjutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!"

The fireball followed after the kunai, but blinded them to what was happening on the other side.

"Clever," came the Kusa nin's voice behind them. Sasuke's eyes widened. "But you should be more cautious when your teammate is using shadows to bind the enemy. That fireball of yours gives off light and disrupts shadows."

"Damn," cursed Sasuke. "Shikamaru, can you…?"

"Barely."

Sasuke cursed internally as he turned to face their opponent again. He was still holding the three kunai from before.

"You're such a pathetic group…"

"If I give you our heaven scroll, will you let us go?" demanded Sasuke. His thoughts were on his two friends; their opponent was on a whole other level. If they fought him, they were almost guaranteed to die. He couldn't let that happen.

"No."

That cold, one-word answer dashed all hope. But Sasuke wasn't going to give in so easily. As the three kunai were sent their way, Sasuke grabbed his teammates and ran, intent on getting them to safety.

"Listen you two," said Sasuke as he set them down. "I'll take the heaven scroll and lure him away. As soon as you two can run, do it. I'm the fastest of us, so I'm the only one who might be able to escape him."

"Sasuke, that's suicide!" said Shikamaru.

"We're not letting you go into this alone!" added Chōji. Sasuke's words triggered something in him, and he was able to move once again.

"Guys… thanks, but I'm not gonna let you two get yourselves killed."

"Our best chance is to hope that team seven is still in the forest and that we can find them," said Shikamaru. "But guess what? You're the only one of us who could find them quick enough."

"Naruto is probably already out of this forest," said Sasuke. "And I'm not gonna risk more of my friends futilely. We're in an impossible situation here, and I refuse to let it control us that easily! My idea is the best chance we got! If we try to fight this guy, then we're all dead! At least this way, you two may survive!"

"Touching. But meaningless."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the Kusa nin appeared right next to them and moved to stab Shikamaru and Chōji.

The world seemed to slow to Sasuke. The kunai descended, ready to end the lives of his teammates and friends.

No… _no!_ He _wouldn't_ let that happen!

Sasuke's body slammed into the Kusa nin, knocking him away. A kunai sprouted from his enemy's flesh. Enraged by the threat to Shikamaru and Chōji, Sasuke stared at his shocked foe with crimson eyes and attempted to ram a kunai through the bastard's eye. His attack was stopped by his opponent's hands on his wrist, barely saving his eye.

_Those eyes…_ thought the Kusa nin. _He awakened the Sharingan in the middle of battle like this? Kukuku… Sasuke-kun… it seems you are indeed worthy._

The two slammed into the forest floor, breaking apart immediately. Without hesitation, Sasuke went on the attack once again.

* * *

"So, you're saying we should try to find teams seven and ten?" questioned Kiba. Ino nodded.

"I was thinking about what Morino-san told us about the first exam," she said. "They seem to be encouraging 'out of the box' thinking. Well, that Mitarashi woman only said that we needed to reach the tower within five days with both a heaven and an earth scroll, right? If we work together with the rest of the rookies, we get strength in numbers, and while we need more scrolls all total, we'll also have an easier time securing them."

"I like that way of thinking," said Kiba. "Besides, if I have to run into those lunatics in here, I'd rather it be as allies."

Ino smacked Kiba.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For calling Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun and Shino-san lunatics!" she said. "Hey, Shino-san creeps me out too, but I'm not calling him crazy! Sakura-chan's my best friend—again, and let me tell you that I'm happy about that—and as for Naruto-kun, you're just jealous!"

"K-Kiba-kun, Ino-san, please, let's not fight," said Hinata as the two growled at each other. They backed down immediately; Ino and Kiba didn't exactly get along with each other, but as long as Hinata was around to play peacekeeper, things were fine.

"Well, at any rate, we should probably start looking," said Kiba. "If we don't hurry, team seven will be done before we even start looking."

* * *

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck_!" cursed Anko repeatedly.

It had been nearly eleven hours since the exam begin, almost ten since things went to hell as she realized who had infiltrated the exams.

Orochimaru… she couldn't believe that bastard really had the nerve to come back here. Half the village had a grudge to settle with that bastard

"Anko-san, are you really sure we shouldn't cancel the exams?" asked one of the ANBU who'd come to pull her weakened body out of that damn forest.

"We have a situation, but I'm thinking it might get worse if we cancel the exams," she said. "Right now, Orochimaru's goals seem limited to putting the Cursed Seal on Uchiha Sasuke and then watching the results."

"Then should we remove him from the exams if he survives?"

"I don't think so," said Anko. "We'll wait for Hokage-sama to make a decision."

"Excuse me," said a chūnin examiner, opening the door to the room.

"What is it?" demanded Anko. "We're having an important conversation here."

"My apologies," said the chūnin, looking a little uncertain. "But I thought you should see this." He held up a tape and proceeded over to the television to put it in the VCR.

"A video?" questioned one of the ANBU.

The chūnin put the tape in and hit play.

"Okay, look at the time here and watch," he said.

The static disappeared as the video started. Those three genin from Kakashi's squad appeared on it. Anko glanced at the time. 15:26. What was so…

Wait, what?

"Twenty-six minutes after the start of the second exam," said the chūnin, voicing everyone's thoughts. "This is a recording from that time."

"_Three from Konohagakure no Sato have finished the second exam,_" said a voice on the video.

"Is this… possible?" muttered one of the ANBU as Anko stood up.

"They finished the exam in less than half an hour," said the chūnin. "They beat the previous record by over five hours. Even for a chūnin, such a feat…"

"No…" said Anko. "Look at them more closely. The forest is littered with poisonous bugs, wild animals, dangerous paths, and it's a ten kilometer trek. But none of them have even a scratch on them."

The chūnin and ANBU all redirected their attention to the screen and realized she was right.

"There isn't even any dirt on their clothes," she continued. "Crossing the entire forest in that time, capturing the missing scroll, and doing all of it completely unharmed… even for a tokubetsu jōnin, that would be quite a feat." She looked back at the screen. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Aburame Shino… what the hell is going on?"

"Were there any other unusual teams like this?" asked one of the ANBU.

"I was preoccupied by these three," he said. "I'll look into it."

"We'll ask Hokage-sama what he knows when he arrives. I'd also like to speak to Hatake Kakashi. And…" Anko frowned. She thought back to an incident earlier today, just after the exams began. She'd forgotten about it, since Orochimaru had come up not long after. "There are three genin from Takigakure taking this exam. They were thrown out of the forest not long after the exam began, only a few minutes in. Whatever happened, it terrified them so much that they chose to quit rather than risk facing it again. I need to ask them what it was they saw."

"Understood." She got the sense that the ANBU were… amused? "That kid… I thought it was a joke when someone suggested recruiting him to the ANBU. Now I see that it wasn't."

* * *

Team seven was one of only two teams to arrive at the tower on the first day. The second team was Gaara's team from Suna, just over an hour behind them.

Right now, Naruto, sans straw hat, stood on one of the tower balconies, looking out at the forest, wondering how the rest of his friends were doing. There was this slight tugging at his mind, telling him that something was wrong. He just wasn't entirely sure what that might be…

"Why are you out here?" came a voice suddenly. Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Temari standing in the balcony entrance. He looked forward again.

"Thinking about my friends," he said. "They're strong… but then there are people with attitudes similar to your brother in this exam as well."

"What do you know of my brother?" asked Temari, walking forward to stand next to Naruto.

"I know that he's a jinchūriki," said Naruto. Temari's eyes widened in shock. "I hate that word, but… that's what people see us as."

"Wait, 'us'? You don't mean…!"

"That I'm like your brother?" said Naruto. "I am." He had no problem confessing this. "I wouldn't spread it around, though—it's a crime to mention it in this village. At any rate, I also know that the only thing he cares about is slaughter. I can sense it; and I don't know what happened to him to make him that way, though I have a guess. I can sympathize to his life, but…" Naruto turned to look at Temari. "If he tries to kill any of my friends, make no mistake—I _will_ kill him."

"If you're the same as him, then I believe you."

"Oh no, it's not because I'm the same," said Naruto. "It's because I had people who cared about me. My own niisan and nēchan, when we had to part, left me with the tools I needed to protect my friends from others like me. Even without that… Shukaku's power pales in comparison to what I have."

Temari looked away.

"Do you care about him?"

"Of course I do!" she said loudly. "He's my little brother! He may terrify me, he may threaten to kill me, he may not care about me or Kankurō at all, but he's still my brother! When we were little I was too naïve and frightened to help him and when we were older he didn't want anyone's help! So don't talk like I don't care!"

Naruto smiled slightly as he turned to look back out at the forest.

"That's good to hear," he said. "Keep trying, Temari-san. All it takes is a little acknowledgement and care; it will make all the difference in the world."

They were silent for a moment.

"That's what happened to you, wasn't it?" asked Temari softly, turning to stare out at the forest as well.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "The Sandaime, then the Ichirakus, then Iruka-sensei, then niisan and nēchan, then my team and sensei, then my classmates from the academy…"

Temari gave Naruto an odd look.

"If you give up, then Gaara-san really is lost," he said softly. "I don't think you want that." Naruto turned to leave. "Keep in mind everything I said, Temari-san." With that, he was gone.

"I will… Naruto-san."

* * *

To say the least, the battle had not gone well for team ten.

Briefly, when Sasuke went on the offensive, it seemed like he might stand a chance of killing that Kusa nin. But then, after being hit by the best technique Sasuke could throw at him, that monster shinobi had torn off his own face, then ranted something about seeking him out when Sasuke wanted more power before extending his neck and biting a shocked Sasuke on the neck. Then, the nin, Orochimaru as he called himself, disappeared after burning team ten's heaven scroll.

Now, team ten was huddled in the hollowed out base of one of the trees. Sasuke was in bad shape, suffering from a heavy fever. Aside from being a little battered, Shikamaru and Chōji were unharmed, and had been setting up trap after trap after trap in the area to protect themselves. True, they didn't have a scroll, but there wasn't really anyway to prove that to someone who decided to attack them.

"What the hell was someone like _that_ doing in these exams?" questioned Chōji.

"I'm trying to figure that out," said Shikamaru. "He seems to have been after Sasuke specifically. What I can't understand is why."

"It sounded like he wanted to recruit Sasuke."

"Yeah, but that alone doesn't make any sense," said Shikamaru. "The only things special about Sasuke are the Sharingan and being one of the last surviving Uchiha. That's significant, but this seems like it's too much trouble just to try and get a new subordinate who probably wouldn't go for it anyways."

"So, there's something more?"

"Yeah… I just wish I could figure out what it is."

* * *

Early the next morning, Hiruzen and Kakashi arrived at the tower and listened to Anko's report on what had happened.

"I see…" said Hiruzen. "This is most troubling. But we cannot cancel the exams. To do so simply because one of our most notorious nukenin is stirring up trouble would cause us to lose face with the other nations, and that is something we cannot afford."

"Even after hearing everything, it's hard to believe that he's returned," said Kakashi. "Did he say anything beyond being after Sasuke?"

"Not really," said Anko. "Aside from his interest in the Uchiha, he only admitted to not having the manpower to try and assassinate Hokage-sama."

"Somehow, I don't find that reassuring," said Hiruzen. He sighed. "Damn it, I'm getting too old for this. I don't know if I have the strength to fight Orochimaru right now."

"If only Yondaime-sama were still around…" murmured Anko.

"Don't talk like that," said Hiruzen. "Minato made his choice. I only wish I knew more of what happened that night."

The three were silent for a few minutes before Anko shifted.

"Hey, Kakashi, I have a question for you," she said.

"Hmm?"

"How the hell did your students get through the forest in half an hour?"

"What?" gasped Kakashi. "How…? I knew they were stronger than any genin in the exam, but I didn't know they were _that_ fast."

"Naruto has signed a summoning contract," said Hiruzen. Anko and Kakashi stared at him.

"He's signed… a summoning contract?" said Kakashi. "Well, there goes the neighborhood! I need to go have a talk with him, because that would've been _useful_ to know back in Nami no Kuni!"

"I believe there were some things Naruto was instructed not to use until the Chūnin Exams," said Hiruzen. "Things have turned out for the best. Let it go Kakashi."

Kakashi sighed.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "I just wish he'd told me about that himself. I thought… well, I thought he trusted me."

"It probably just slipped his mind," said Hiruzen. "Or perhaps he was hoping to surprise you. Either way, don't think that he doesn't trust you. He does."

Anko sighed, leaning back on the couch she was sitting on.

"Well, I guess a summon would explain things," said Anko. "Right after the test started, the team from Takigakure was thrown out of the forest, and they were too panicked to go back in. A proper summon could not only help them get the scroll quickly, but also get through the forest unharmed." She let out a sigh. "Still… a summoning contract. I don't think anyone's ever signed one before reaching chūnin level."

"You'll soon find that Naruto does a lot of impossible things," said Kakashi. "Sakura and Shino will probably be joining him before the exams are done."

"I've seen a bit of what he can do," said Anko. "Ibiki also mentioned to me that he was a pretty interesting kid, and I heard about the ANBU wanting to recruit him already. I don't know what you've done with those kids, but you really need to keep doing it."

Kakashi chuckled lightly at that.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon now; not that anyone inside the forest could tell, and not that it mattered to the two battered and beaten genin that were all that stood between their teammate and death.

"Hehe… you two got guts, I'll give you that," said Kinuta Dosu as he stared at Shikamaru and Chōji, both of them on their knees and panting. The entire battle had proven quite one-sided. Abumi Zaku could counter Chōji's attacks (though admittedly, with great difficulty), and Shikamaru couldn't hold Dosu or Tsuchi Kin for very long.

"Listen, just hand over Sasuke and we'll let you go," said Kin, licking her kunai eagerly.

"Not a chance!" said Shikamaru. "Sasuke's our teammate and friend! We're not going to leave him to the likes of you!"

"Have it your way," said Zaku. He raised his arms, preparing to strike with his decapitating airwaves technique. "**Zank**–"

That was as far as he got before another voice rang out.

"**Gatsūga**!"

A huge drilling wind shot out of the trees straight at Zaku. The Oto genin broke away from one another as the 'drill' came to a stop where they'd been standing and revealed a pair of Inuzuka Kiba's, one standing atop the other.

"Hey, Shikamaru, look after my body, 'kay?" said Ino, appearing next to Shikamaru and Chōji, her hands already raised in the hand seal for her jutsu. Her target came to a halt. "**Shintenshin no Jutsu**!"

Meanwhile, Dosu landed on a branch, letting out a small sigh of relief at successfully dodging the unexpected attack. Then, he sensed danger behind him, and leapt out of the way of Hinata's strike. The Hyūga heiress instead struck the tree before leaping back and landing next to Kiba. A few seconds later, the area she struck exploded.

"Alright, that's enough," said Kin, lifting her kunai up to her throat. Zaku and Dosu looked at her in shock. "Sorry to say, your friend isn't in control anymore. Now, drop your scroll and walk away, or you're not going anywhere in these exams."

To everyone's surprise, the two started laughing.

_What? What are they laughing about?_ wondered Ino. The real shocker came when Zaku suddenly launched a **Zankūha** at Kin. She dodged, but was thrown back by the energy being thrown off, slamming into a tree. Ino started to bleed slightly.

"Ino!" cried Shikamaru. Kiba grit his teeth in anger.

"Looks like any injury to our teammate is suffered by that girl as well," commented Dosu.

"We don't care about these exams," added Zaku. "All we care about is dealing with the Uchiha."

"Ino, get of there!" shouted Kiba as he went charging forward. "**Gatsūga**!"

"Not gonna work this time," said Zaku, raising his arms and pointing them at the Kiba-Akamaru drill. "**Zankūha**!"

Unlike Chōji, who's ball-like spinning mitigated the power of Zaku's attack somewhat, Kiba and Akamaru spun like a corkscrew, and Zaku's attack blew them away, sending them crashing into the tree Sasuke was hidden in. Their transformation released, returning Kiba to a fully human form and Akamaru to a small dog.

"Now, just give up Sasuke and no one has to get hurt," said Dosu, approaching Kin. Realizing what was about to happen, Ino released her jutsu, relinquishing control of Kin's body and regaining control of her own.

"Zaku, you bastard!" shouted Kin as Dosu helped her to her feet. "I'm gonna kill you for that!"

"Shove it!" shouted Zaku. Dosu sighed, but ignored the two, instead walking towards the six Konoha genin.

"Well?" he asked. "Are you gonna give up Sasuke?"

"No," said Hinata, stepping forward a bit.

"Hey, Hinata, be careful!" yelled Kiba as he pulled himself to his feet. "Wait just a minute and I'll come help you!"

"No Kiba-kun," said Hinata firmly, raising her hands in the Ram seal. "You and Ino-san just rest. I'll handle this."

"That's quite a bold statement," said Dosu, chuckling slightly. Kin and Zaku's attention had returned to their targets, and both had sadistic grins on their faces.

_Naruto-kun… I once heard you say that you wanted to be strong for the sake of your friends_, thought Hinata. _I've never had friends before, but now I do. Now I understand you even better. Like you, I will endeavor to be strong for the sake of my friends._

"Byakūgan," said Hinata softly. Veins on her face bulged out around her eyes as her pupils became visible at the center of her purple irises.

"And what do you intend to do?" questioned Dosu.

"Defeat you."

Then, Hinata went on the offensive. Dosu laughed, dodging her first strike and lashing out with a punch that Hinata dodged. Dosu smirked, directing his sound waves to attack her.

_He uses chakra to control that attack_, thought Hinata. _I can see it._

Dosu's eyes widened in shock as Hinata bent back, dodging the sound waves. She placed an open palm against the ground, giving her support as she brought her feet up to kick Dosu in the chin. The bandage-wrapped Oto genin barely pulled back, while Zaku raised his arms.

"**Zankūha**!" he shouted. Heavy winds and screeching sound waves blasted out of his arms in Hinata's direction.

In the seconds before the attack hit, Hinata formed five hand seals, ending on Snake.

"**Kawarimi no Jutsu**," she murmured. The attack struck as Hinata's body transformed into a log.

"You missed," said Hinata. Zaku's eyes widened and he failed to dodge Hinata's open palm blow to his chest that sent him flying. Kin came at Hinata from behind, slashing at her with a kunai. However, Hinata saw the attack coming with her Byakūgan, and ducked under the slash at the last instant, spinning her body around and placing both hands against Kin's chest as the other kunoichi's eyes went wide with shock.

Then, Hinata blasted chakra into Kin's body, sending her flying away, coughing up some blood as she did so.

Dosu appeared from her left, striking out at Hinata with his right arm, hoping to actually hit her with his sound wave attack this time.

However, Hinata saw his attack coming from five meters away, dodged the punch, dodged the follow-up sound attack, and grabbed hold of the melody arm.

"This thing is the key to your entire battle strategy," she said. She formed a half-Ram seal with her free right hand. "Without it, you can't do anything."

With that, she channeled chakra into the tool, shattering it. Dosu's eyes widened in shock, and he threw himself away, grateful that at least he was out of her grip.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded. Zaku was standing back to his feet behind Hinata.

"I am Hyūga Hinata, heir to the Hyūga Clan, the strongest of Konoha," said Hinata, raising her arms into her Jūken stance. "I may not be as strong as Neji-niisan or as talented as my imōto, but I am still a proud kunoichi of both Konoha and the Hyūga. I will not allow myself to be defeated here."

Zaku was preparing to attack again. She could see that with her Byakūgan. However, something else caught her attention.

"Sasuke-san?" she gasped. Everyone's attention turned that way.

Sasuke was standing up, a malevolent purple energy flowing off him in waves, making those closest to him nauseous. Red marks stretched across his skin before stopping at about half his face and his left arm, turning black.

But the look in his eyes… that wasn't Sasuke. Not the one they knew.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did everyone think? When you get down to it, it only makes sense that team seven would utterly plow through this phase of the exams. The odds of them actually running into a problem were pretty slim, since most of the participants couldn't possibly threaten them. And yes, I tease; you don't get to know what beasts Naruto's signed a summoning contract with just yet.**

**Moving on, I really enjoyed the scenes for team eight and team ten. We really get to see Sasuke's changes, and it was _really_ fun to have Hinata prove herself an utter badass. When you think about it, she really _does_ have _every_ advantage over the Oto genin, and she's a bit more confident than in canon. Ending it with Sasuke waking up seemed like a good point to do so.**

**Nothing much to exposit on. Though, just to let you know, much of the next chapter will focus on the other two teams, with team seven only making relatively minor appearances up until the end. This seemed like a good chance to focus on the others anyways, so I should have fun with that.**

**Please leave a review, and if you haven't already, be sure to check out my third version of _Naruto: Twilight Legend_.**

**Sayonara!**


	11. Teamwork

**Yay! Another fast update!**

**I know it's not as long as the last one; I don't know _why_ I keep making these little promises to focus on side character, it never seems to work out quite right. This is a slight exception, but I still ended up rushing through this more than I intended to. Well, at any rate, this was fun to do. I hope everyone enjoys it, and I apologize for any OOCness.**

**Also, since this is something that seems to keep coming up: the "Bloodlines" title will be explained after the Invasion of Konoha; no sooner. However, keep in mind that a "bloodline" is _not_ synonymous with a kekkei genkai; the Uchiha bloodline carries the Sharingan kekkei genkai, but the Haruno, Inuzuka and Namikaze bloodlines _do not_ carry any kekkei genkai at all.  
**

**Oh, and since I'm now considering alternative pairings for this fic ("alternative" meaning it's NaruSaku with the possibility of a second girl being added), there's a poll now up on my profile to vote for what pairing you'd like. The choices are "pure NaruSaku", "NaruSakuIno" (the original plan), "NaruSakuHina" (because I enjoy it and it's not done enough), "NaruSakuInoHina" (tried this once; that story was screwed over by the older version of Mai I used and _bad_ writing; I wonder what I was smoking back then), or "NaruHarem" (which is really just the last choice with one extra girl; who it would be is semi-undecided but will remain unrevealed until it actually goes through).**

**Alright, enough of that. On with the story!  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers still apply.**

* * *

Sakura really wasn't in a very good mood right now.

In the time since the second team arrived at the tower, she'd seen Naruto conversing with that blonde Sand kunoichi, Temari, several times. True, they'd mostly discussed trivial things, but it all rubbed her the wrong way.

She might feel guilty for being jealous, if not for the fact that, unlike Ino, Temari was most definitely _not_ a friend of hers.

She held it in, though, because it definitely seemed that Naruto actually did consider Temari a friend.

So, instead, she asked Shino to give her a bit of privacy with Naruto. He did so, leaving the room the three of them shared as soon as Naruto returned from another conversation with Temari.

"Hmm? Where's Shino going?" questioned Naruto. Sakura shrugged.

"Don't know," she admitted. "I asked for a bit of privacy though."

"Ah," said Naruto, turning to leave. "Well then, I'll get out of your way."

"Naruto, wait!" said Sakura. He did as asked, and Sakura approached him. "I wanted a bit of privacy with you."

Confused, Naruto turned to look at her.

"Why?"

"Because you're an idiot," said Sakura. "Now, since all the hints I've been dropping haven't gotten through that thick skull of yours, let me just come out and say it: Naruto, will you go out on a date with me?"

Naruto stared at Sakura. This continued for a few minutes, and just as the rosette was getting uncomfortable and thinking she'd be turned down, Naruto spoke up.

"Yes… I'd really like that," he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna faint from the shock of having the girl of my dreams for the last four or so years finally ask me out."

Sakura blushed… right up until Naruto proved it wasn't hyperbole and fell over.

"Ah! Naruto!"

* * *

_This man…_ thought Shikamaru, sweating slightly, _is not our teammate._

"Sasuke-kun…" whispered Ino, looking at the Uchiha in shock.

Sasuke's head lifted, fully revealing his Sharingan eyes.

_This power… this is far more than we can handle…_ thought Dosu, feeling sweat soaking his bandages.

"Heh… that's an arrogant expression," said Zaku. Dosu's eyes widened as he looked at his teammate. "But it doesn't change anything!"

Zaku raised his arms, aiming the cannons within at Sasuke. The blast would also catch everyone else except Hinata.

"No, Zaku, don't!" shouted Dosu, but it was too late.

"**Zankūkyokuha**!" shouted Zaku.

An enormous blast was launched forth, tearing up the ground as it shot towards the Konoha genin.

"Kiba-kun! Ino-san!" cried Hinata, even as she raised her arms to shield herself from the debris getting thrown up; Dosu did the same, as did Kin, still lying on the ground after Hinata's earlier counterattack.

"Heh… blew them right away," said Zaku arrogantly.

_No…_ thought Hinata, her eyes widening in shock. How…?

"Blew who away?"

Zaku and Kin's eyes widened in shock. Dosu's swore he was sweating even more than before. All three turned their attention to what Hinata had already seen with her Byakugan.

There stood Sasuke, right next to Zaku. On the ground next to him were Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, Chōji and Shikamaru, all staring at him in shock.

Zaku had no time to react as Sasuke backhanded him, sending him flying.

"Zaku, Kin, we have to retreat!" shouted Dosu.

"Screw you!" roared Zaku.

"**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" shouted Sasuke, sending several balls of fire flying towards Zaku.

_I see…_ thought Hinata. Her Byakugan let her see what Sasuke had done. It was a simple but clever move. However, that did not change the fact that this was not the Sasuke she knew.

Zaku launched a decapitating airwave at the fireballs to put them out. Shikamaru was wondering how idiotic someone could get.

Fanned by the winds produced by Zaku's technique, the fireballs grew. Zaku's eyes widened in shock.

The fireballs hit, burning Zaku before the shuriken connected with the damaged skin. Zaku cried out in pain as he fell to the ground; fortunately for him, most of the wounds had been cauterized. He tried pulling himself to his feet, but Sasuke was already right there, kunai held in hand. He struck out, on the verge of killing Zaku when his kunai was intercepted by another kunai.

"What…?" gasped Sasuke.

Hinata stood there, blocking Sasuke's kunai with one of her own.

"Sasuke-san, come to your senses!" she said. "It's already over!"

"Out of my way Hinata!" shouted Sasuke. "This guy…"

_Smack!_

Ino and Kiba stared at the scene before them in shock.

"When did Hinata-chan get so assertive?" questioned Ino.

"Forget that!" said Kiba. "When did Hinata become such a badass?"

Sasuke's eyes were wide with shock. Did… did Hinata just _slap_ him?

"Get ahold of yourself, Sasuke-san!" said Hinata. "You don't want to do this! Chōji-kun and Shikamaru-kun are safe and these three are beaten! They can't do anything to us now."

Sasuke looked at Hinata before looking around. What surprised him was not that Hinata was right, but rather, the looks of uncertainty he was getting. His eyes widened.

_Wha… what happened to me?_

Sasuke let the hand holding the kunai drop. The marks on his body began to recede and his Sharingan deactivated as he fell to his knees.

Dosu let out a sigh of relief. He walked over to Zaku, hands held out to show that he wasn't about to attack; Hinata and Sasuke were still next to Zaku, with the Hyūga heiress checking Sasuke's condition. He retrieved Zaku and carried his groaning teammate over to where Kin had propped herself up against a tree.

"Here," said Dosu, pulling out his team's earth scroll and rolling it over towards where Hinata and Sasuke were.

"Dosu, what are you doing?" questioned Kin. However, she started coughing as she ended the question, catching a bit of blood in her hands.

"We're beaten," said Dosu. "Consider this scroll thanks for allowing us to leave here alive."

The six Konoha genin watched as Dosu helped Kin to her feet and, supporting the weight of both his teammates, left the area.

Things were silent for a few minutes before the others got up and walked over to Sasuke and Hinata.

"Hinata…" said Sasuke so quietly that only she could hear. "Thanks for stopping me."

A small, sweet smile formed on Hinata's lips.

"You're welcome," she said, just as quietly. She stood up and released the Byakugan as the others reached them.

"Hinata, when did you become such a complete badass?" asked Kiba.

"Huh? I… I don't…"

_Annd…_ just like that, Hinata reverted to type. Ino let out a small sigh.

"You _really_ need to work on that confidence issue of yours," she said.

"Ino, not that we're not grateful, but what are you three doing here?" asked Shikamaru.

"Hmm? Oh, we thought we should try to find you and team seven so that we could all partner up. We only have to get one heaven scroll and one earth scroll each to pass, and with a larger group, we could do that more easily, right?"

"Makes sense," said Shikamaru. "Team seven's long gone by now though, unless they encountered guys like the one who put that damn thing on Sasuke's neck."

"Do you think even that would slow them down?" asked Sasuke.

"Probably not," admitted Shikamaru with a sigh. He bent down and picked up the Oto team's scroll. "Well, we've got at least one earth scroll now. What about you guys?"

"We took out a team while looking for you," said Kiba. "But they had an earth scroll, which is what we got. What happened to your original scroll?"

"It was burned by that Orochimaru guy after he took down Sasuke," said Chōji.

"Then I guess we need two heaven scrolls," said Sasuke. "What's our condition? Can we move now or should we rest first?"

"We should probably rest," said Shikamaru. "Chōji and I got pretty beaten up, and you look exhausted. Hinata's the only one to come out of that entire thing unharmed."

"Let's not rest here though," said Kiba, sniffing the air. "That fight is probably gonna draw a lot of attention. Hinata, find us somewhere we can make camp so that team ten can rest. While they do that, you and I will scout and see if we can find any teams to target."

"Okay."

The others stared at Kiba.

"Wait, is Kiba acting like a real leader?" questioned Ino. "When did that happen? Argh! My world is suddenly being turned upside down! Again! Shikamaru, Chōji, act like your regular selves! Protect my sanity!"

The only proper response to this moment was a universal sweatdrop.

* * *

Eventually, Sakura calmed down, Naruto woke up, the two agreed to not discuss what was going on until after the current exam, and Shino returned, informing his teammates that Team Gai had arrived, bringing those who passed the second exam to nine.

"Yakushi-san said it was unusual for more than four teams to pass," said Shino. "The odds do not favor our comrades."

Naruto shrugged, leaning back against the wall.

"Depending on how many extra Team Gai and the Suna team decided to grab along the way, there should still be plenty of scrolls to be thrown around," he said. "Besides, statistics and odds aren't everything."

"Agreed."

"At any rate, should we get back to training?" asked Sakura. "I know there's still several more days before the exam ends, but there isn't much else to do right now since we're not allowed to leave the tower."

"I guess so," said Naruto.

* * *

Several hours had passed since Sasuke had woken up, and the two rookie teams were moving towards the tower, planning to use a variant of Shikamaru's original plan to acquire the scrolls they needed. With Kiba, Hinata and Ino added to the group, there was a lot more flexibility available in planning and hunting down targets also became much more viable.

Team ten had explained a bit more of what actually happened to them, leaving team eight visibly disgusted by their descriptions of just what sort of creature this Orochimaru guy was.

"Tch, all the more reason to wrap this up and get out of here quick," said Kiba. "How many heaven scrolls do you think are still lying around?"

"We lost ours," said Sasuke. "Team seven's probably already done, and if what Naruto said about that Gaara guy is true, then they're probably done as well. Figure at least one more team's managed to finish by now, so it would be safe to assume there are… probably only seven or eight heaven scrolls left."

"Seven or eight, huh?" muttered Kiba. "Yeesh, that's gonna make things a bit harder. How big is this forest again?"

"Ten kilometers from the entrance to the tower," said Ino. "Not sure about the actual area…"

"Three hundred fourteen square kilometers," said Shikamaru, almost absentmindedly, drawing looks of shock from Ino and Kiba.

"That's a lot of ground to be searching," said Sasuke. "Well… we can assume there are about the same number of earth scrolls left including the ones we have. So it's probably safe to assume that anyone who has a heaven scroll will come hunting for us eventually anyway."

"Sure, but I don't like the idea of being in here longer than we have to," said Chōji.

"Not to mention that I'm not comfortable not knowing we'll pass until the last minute," added Ino. Sasuke nodded.

"Once we're about half a kilometer from the tower, we'll set up a camp to operate from," he said. "Prepare traps and make the place as secure as we can for us so we don't have anymore unpleasant surprises. After that, Hinata and Kiba will take turns leading a team of three in search of anyone with a heaven scroll."

"Sounds good," said Shikamaru. "Whoever remains at the camp with the last two will be able to keep watch for attackers as well."

"Okay, I can get behind this plan," said Kiba. "Let's get to it!"

* * *

The two rookie genin squads spent the rest of the day reaching and setting up their base camp. It was agreed that they'd take turns staying awake and guarding, in case someone decided to attack them in their sleep. One person from each team at a time.

The first watch was Ino and Shikamaru. Second watch was Kiba and Chōji.

The third, current watch was Hinata and Sasuke.

The two sat in comfortable silence, neither much interested in conversation at the moment. Hinata's thoughts were mostly on trying to do well for her team. Sasuke's, however, were more tumultuous.

Specifically, Sasuke was thinking about what he'd seen when he was unconscious earlier.

It had been him. That's what frightened him the most. The knowledge that the eight-year-old version of him had been all his darkest thoughts and emotions given form.

His thirst for power and vengeance, his shattered pride in all that the Uchiha Clan had been, his sense of superiority to those around him as they laughed and smiled without knowing the cruelties of the world as Sasuke had.

It was all a manifestation of things that were a part of Sasuke… and it terrified him. It terrified him more than the sight of his clan slaughtered, more than the look in his brother's eyes that night, more than the fear of being forced to watch it all again under the power of **Tsukuyomi**.

Shikamaru and Chōji were his friends. Hinata, Ino and Kiba were somewhere between comrade and friend. He'd seen the looks on their faces, of uncertainty and fear. And on Hinata's face, a determination that seemed foreign on her. She was ready to fight him, to stop him… even to kill him if that's what it took. She probably hadn't realized that herself, but Sasuke was certain she would've killed him if she thought for even a second that he would threaten the others.

Adding to the terror was just how incredibly _good_ that power had felt. Worse still, knowing that, if only for a moment, he would've killed his friends to hold onto that power for just a second longer.

He didn't want that; Sasuke was finally pulling a bit of his shattered life back together. He wasn't going to let this thing take it all away.

"Hinata…" said Sasuke.

"Yes, Sasuke-san?"

"Thanks again for earlier. And if it happens again… don't hesitate to stop me forcefully, okay? I don't want to hurt any of you."

"Sasuke-san…" Hinata stared at him uncertainly. Eventually, she gave a small nod. "Okay."

* * *

Early the next morning, team seven stood before their sensei in one of the tower training rooms. Sakura was a tad twitchy, since Kakashi was currently reading one of his copies of the Icha Icha series. However, she'd gotten used enough to that quirk that her only reaction was a twitch. She figured, with a bit more time, she probably wouldn't mind it at all—as long as her teammates didn't mimic him.

"Well, I'm sorry I haven't been to see you three," said Kakashi. "It's been a little busy the last few days. Anyways, I've heard some rather remarkable stories. You've achieved a record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon, and you did it all without even getting a speck of dirt on you." Kakashi closed the book. "I'm a little disappointed that you didn't tell me about your summoning contract, Naruto."

"Yeah… sorry about that, it kind of slipped my mind…"

Kakashi chuckled.

"Don't worry about it too much," he said. "At any rate, there are three more days to the end of the exam. Hokage-sama has given me permission to go ahead and supervise your training, but until the exam concludes, that's all I'm allowed to do. So…" Kakashi smiled. "Why don't you show me what you can do?"

* * *

"THAT GIRL IS TURNING INTO A MINIATURE TSUNADE!"

This was the cry of utter shock that was all the Hokage himself could muster in the face of the footage being played of Sakura shattering a training dummy with a flick of her finger.

Twelve years old. _Twelve_! And a _genin_! How in all _hell_ did she pull _that_ off? No genin or twelve-year-old girl should be able to achieve such a thing.

As the Hokage sputtered in shock and disbelief, Anko stared at the screen, flabbergasted by the flaw in the test that Shino had exploited as she heard the full explanation for how they'd gotten through the exam so quickly. Though, on the other hand, she thought it was perfectly logical, and figured there was no reason to change that core principle.

Standing behind the two, Ibiki looked amused by the whole thing.

* * *

"Alright, so I'll take… Ino and Shikamaru," said Kiba as they prepared for the first group to go hunting. "When we get back, Hinata heads out with Sasuke and Chōji. Agreed?"

"Yes."

Kiba nodded.

"Right, let's go then!" he said, running off eagerly. Ino and Shikamaru both sighed as they followed after him.

"It probably should've been me and Chōji with Kiba," said Sasuke dryly. "He's not going to slow down for those two."

"N-no," said Hinata. "Kiba-kun is pretty… um… 'enthusiastic'."

Sasuke sighed, wishing she'd just settle on a single behavioral pattern by now. She was shifting between stuttering and shy, calm and rational, and dangerously self-confident. Granted, this was better than back in the academy, but at least back then she was _consistent_.

* * *

When Kiba, Ino and Shikamaru returned several hours later, they were much more bruised up than when they left. They also looked dissatisfied.

"I take it your trip didn't go well," said Sasuke dryly.

"It was going well right till this idiot led us into a trap!" said Ino, grabbing Kiba's ear and yanking on it.

"Ow, ow, ow! Hey, we got out of it, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but only because Shikamaru's smarter than you and Akamaru was clever enough to escape! And we _still _didn't manage to get a heaven scroll! Sasuke-kun, can I _please_ be on a team with you and Hinata-chan next time?"

"Sorry," said Sasuke, while not actually feeling sorry at all. "We're probably gonna switch Kiba and Hinata's groups. Hinata's team might lose Chōji as a heavy hitter, but I don't think that will be a problem for her."

"Ugh… well, it's your turn anyways. Here." With that, Ino tossed the earth scroll over to them. This was part of their plan—the group at the base would keep two of their earth scrolls, while the hunter group would hold onto the spare to give them something to barter with if they ran into too much trouble.

"Alright," said Sasuke, holding the earth scroll. "Let's go, Hinata, Chōji."

"Hai!"

* * *

Day four; time remaining: somewhere between forty-eight and fifty-six hours. Luck in obtaining the needed scrolls for teams eight and ten? Zero.

"God damn it, we must have the worst luck in the universe!" yelled Kiba, looking at the small pile of earth scrolls they'd accumulated.

"We have most of the earth scrolls left in the exam at this point," said Shikamaru. "People with heaven scrolls are gonna have to come looking for us eventually."

"Yeah, but holding onto _six_ earth scrolls seems a bit extreme," said Ino.

"Whatever works," muttered Sasuke. "If someone has an excess of heaven scrolls, then we can simply trade." He reached back and touched the mark still sitting on his neck. "I've been having trouble fighting because of this thing."

"Okay, fair enough," said Ino. "Didn't stop you guys from getting three earth scrolls."

"Hinata and Chōji did all the real work," said Sasuke. "I swear, I'm gonna kill the bastard responsible for this someday."

"Well, at any rate, we should probably get to work," said Ino. "Shikamaru, Hinata-san and I start today, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Well then, let's get going you two!"

* * *

When one got down to it, Hinata's Byakugan was undeniably the superior implement for hunting down a potentially prepared target. She had three hundred and sixty degree x-ray vision out to a range of fifty meters, letting her easily spot traps and enemies waiting in ambush.

In addition, when it came to searching for something, Kiba and Akamaru had to rely on scents and tracks that could be covered, and they would potentially need to sift through a huge number of smells.

The Byakugan could not only use sight (usually, though not always, the more reliable sense) and x-ray vision within that fifty meter radius in all directions, but it possessed a focused telescopic sight—sure, that was only forwards, but it's range was much greater.

Hinata was particularly gifted in that regard, able to see things up to a kilometer away despite her youth and inexperience. This was how she successfully led Sasuke and Chōji to two different teams to capture three earth scrolls.

This time, Hinata was being more meticulous with her search, trying to make sure the team she took Ino and Shikamaru to hunt down had the scroll they wanted.

It only took half an hour to find a team with a heaven scroll. The team in question surprised Hinata. When she told her teammates, Ino had started cracking up while Shikamaru sighed in exasperation.

It only took another half an hour to intercept the team in question, currently en route to the tower.

"Who's there?" demanded the team leader, eyes shifting in all directions as he tried to find the sense of the noise. In response to the demand, Hinata walked out from behind a tree.

Ino barely suppressed her laugh as all three Oto genin started sweating.

"H-hi," said Hinata. "Um… we're here to take your heaven scroll. It's been two days but we haven't managed to get even one, so…"

"Take it!" shouted Dosu, grabbing the scroll and throwing it at her. Remembering well the beating they'd received at the hands of this girl only a few days ago, Zaku and Kin didn't object.

"Thank you," said Hinata, catching the scroll and smiling sweetly at them.

Ino finally broke down laughing when the Oto team turned tail and ran for it. Even Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

* * *

As dusk approached, Shikamaru napped, leaving Hinata and Ino to keep watch while the others were out hunting, both for food and for a second heaven scroll. Eventually, Ino got tired of sitting around doing nothing.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, I have a question," she said.

"Hmm?"

"Well… you've had a crush on Naruto-kun for years now, right?"

Blushing, Hinata nodded.

"Right… well, I can certainly understand what you see in him now, but all those years ago… what was it you liked so much about him?"

Hinata blushed deeply.

"W-w-well… N-Naruto-kun is always so confident… I admire him for that…"

"That old boisterous confidence," commented Ino. "He's changed a lot from that little prankster, but… well, I guess there are some things that don't change, right?"

"I-Ino-san… do you… um…"

"Like Naruto-kun?" said Ino, leaning back on her hands slightly. Meekly, Hinata nodded. "To be honest… yeah, I kinda do. But realistically, he's always had his eyes on Sakura-chan. You and I… we never stood a chance. Maybe that's why I'm still bugging Sasuke-kun every chance I get. Don't tell him this, but Kiba wouldn't be that bad of a catch either." Ino gave Hinata a kind smile. "Anyways, let's not let some guy cause problems for our friendship. I let that happen once and I don't want it to happen again."

"Y-yes…" said Hinata. "I don't want to lose my friends."

Ino smiled.

"You know, you sounded more confident just now," she said. "So, friendship is the secret to your confidence and strength? Guess that explains why those Oto nin didn't stand a chance. Oh, and by the way, I wish you the best of luck with Sasuke-kun."

"What about Sasuke-san?"

"Well, just between you and me, I think he might like you."

"What?" cried Hinata in disbelief. Ino started laughing at her friend's expression.

* * *

"Sasuke! Why the hell did you waste time flirting with that girl from Kusa?"

"I wasn't flirting!" shouted Sasuke. "God damn it Kiba, I saved her from a bear and let her go because we don't need any more earth scrolls! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Might take quite a few more," said Chōji as the three walked back into the camp. "She _was_ pretty cute."

"Hey Chōji! I know you're on a team without any girls, but keep your head together!" called Ino as she sat up. "More seriously though, I'll take it from Kiba's attitude that you didn't manage to find any heaven scrolls?"

"Unfortunately not," said Sasuke. "I think we'll have to all head out hunting tomorrow."

"Well, we only need one more heaven scroll anyway," said Ino. "Right! We'll rest and then go hunting tomorrow!"

* * *

The next day, they finally got a lucky break when Hinata spotted a heaven scroll lying hidden in a bush with no traps and no one in sight.

"That's… really weird," said Kiba, picking up the scroll. "Who would be stupid enough to drop a heaven scroll? Hmm…" He held it to Akamaru who sniffed it before he started barking. "Oh…"

"Well Kiba?" asked Sasuke. "Who's your 'idiot'?"

Kiba sighed.

"Not so much 'idiot' as 'has no possible need to hold onto it'," he said. "Its several days old and a bit hard to pick up, but Naruto's scent is definitely on this thing."

"Could something have happened to team seven?" questioned Ino.

"It's more likely that they wound up with an extra and didn't bother to keep it," said Shikamaru.

"No complaints," said Chōji firmly. "Now let's get out of this crazy forest!"

* * *

"Team eight and team ten have arrived," said Shino a little while later. "They are carrying four extra earth scrolls."

Naruto chuckled at that.

"So _that's_ why it took them so long," said Naruto. "Let's see… at a guess, that means up to four more teams could still potentially pass. Less if Team Gai or Temari-san's team captured extra earth scrolls of their own. Oh well; let's leave them hanging a little longer. We'll see them all when the test ends tomorrow anyways."

* * *

At 4:00 the next day, precisely five days and one hour after the exam started, the teams that passed were gathered in the large room at the center of the tower. All total, seven teams had passed, five from Konoha, one from Suna and the team from Oto.

The seven teams were lined up side by side, with the members of each team standing in a line facing the Hokage; their senseis were behind the Hokage, and eight examiners, including the two proctors, stood four to each side of the Hokage.

"First of all," said Anko. "Congratulations on passing the second exam."

She paused for a moment, staring at them.

_Twenty-one out of seventy-eight passed_, she thought. _I know I said I'd cut their numbers in half, but I was expecting single digits. And what's with this number of rookie genin? Yeesh._

"We will now have an explanation of the third exam from Hokage-sama," finished Anko. "Please listen closely."

Hiruzen gave Anko a slight nod of approval as he stepped forward.

"Before I explain the third exam to you," he said. "There's something you must all learn. Some of you…" he inclined his head slightly towards the veteran Team Okura that Kabuto belonged to, "… have already heard this. But for the rest of you, it's time that you learned the true purpose of these Chūnin Selection Exams."

"The true purpose?" echoed Tenten.

"I'm sure you've all been wondering: why do the allied countries have their genin take these exams together? Officially, it is 'to promote friendship among the countries' and 'to raise the level of the shinobi'. But these are illusions, nothing more. The true purpose of this test is to serve as a substitute for war among the allied countries."

"A substitute for war?" questioned Sakura.

"Yes," said Hiruzen. "If you look back, the allied countries used to be at war with one another. Since the founding of the hidden villages, there have been three Shinobi World Wars. During those times of war, resources and manpower were expended fighting one another; although one side can seem to be gaining at the start, in the end, every war has concluded with nothing accomplished other than a depletion of resources for all involved. Yet the villages continue to compete. Why? In the end, it is to grant greater territory to draw in more clientele, maintaining themselves and increasing their own power."

Hiruzen let out a smoky breath.

"The genin are the lowest ranked and weakest ninja in a village," said Hiruzen. "Yet, they are also the individuals who will one day become chūnin and jōnin. Feudal lords, merchants and men of wealth and power come from across the known world to observe these exams. It allows them to gauge the power of a village by the power of its junior ninja, attracting clients to that village. The process of eliminating so many teams in the first two exams leaves only the strongest for the third exam and keeps it from dragging on."

"So we're just being shown off?" questioned Naruto.

"In essence, yes," said Hiruzen. "Make no mistake; these exams still gauge one's worth to be a chūnin. I will explain more of that later; for now, there is another matter to attend to."

At that moment, an individual appeared between them and the Hokage via **Shunshin no Jutsu**. The figure knelt before the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, please allow me to explain the rest to them," she said. Hiruzen nodded, and the woman stood up, turning to face them.

The woman looked to be somewhere in her mid-twenties. She had long purple hair, violet eyes, a formidable figure and facial features that spoke of calm professionalism. She wore a red shirt, black pants, combat boots and her hitai-ate on her left bicep.

"I am Kagami Mito; I will serve as the proctor for the third exam," she said. "And I will act as a referee for the preliminary rounds to decide who will participate in the main event."

"Preliminary rounds?" questioned Chōji.

"As Hokage-sama said, the third exam cannot be allowed to drag on too long," said Mito. "Twenty-one participants are far too many. So these preliminaries will eliminate half of you, leaving a more manageable number."

"That's not fair!" said Ino.

Mito shrugged.

"Don't blame me," she said. "If you want to blame anyone, then blame Morino-san and Mitarashi-san for making the first two exams too easy. Or barring that, blame each other for being stronger than the average genin should be. Either way, my job is simply to manage the third exam, including these preliminaries."

Mito sighed, looking over them. Twelve of the genin had arrived only in the last two days and were still sporting bruises from the forest. The other nine had all come through either mostly or completely unscathed, with the injuries recovering fully in the time since.

"We'll be starting the preliminaries immediately," said Mito. "So, if any of you want to come forward and quit, now's the time to do it. Some of you aren't in the best of condition."

There was a moment of silence before Kabuto suddenly stepped forward.

"Um… I'm quitting," he said, catching all of the genin off-guard.

"Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha, right?" said Mito, glancing at a clipboard that seemed to appear from nowhere. "You're free to leave. Anyone else? Oh, and I forgot to mention this before, but you're working individually from now on, so quitting won't disqualify anyone else but you."

"Kabuto-san, why are you quitting?" questioned Naruto.

"Naruto-kun… well, to be honest, I got pretty beat up by a group of Ame genin while trying to rendezvous with my team after we got separated," said Kabuto. "I wish I could stay and finally get that promotion, but realistically, I'm not in any condition to fight; I could barely stand up to a stiff breeze right now, let alone a fellow shinobi."

Standing behind Mito, the Hokage glanced briefly at Anko.

"I think I remember him," he said. "Didn't he quit during the final test last time the exams were held here? What's he thinking?"

"Yakushi Kabuto… he's failed six straight times," said Anko.

"What kind of record is that?" muttered Hiruzen.

"He hasn't stood out much since entering the academy," continued Anko. "Failed to graduate twice before succeeding on the third time… has completed thirty-seven D-rank missions and thirteen C-rank, with no spectacular battle history. But… well, before he entered the academy. Do you remember that young boy of the enemy brought back from the Battle of Kikyō Pass by a jōnin of the medical team?"

"So, he is that child?" questioned Hiruzen. Anko gave a slight nod as Kabuto walked away.

"No one else?" asked Mito one last time as Kabuto left the room. When it became apparent that Kabuto was the only one, she shifted slightly.

"Very well," she said. "We'll begin the preliminaries. They will be a series of one-on-one matches that are to be fought as if in a real life confrontation. Yes, that means even killing. The rules for the matches are simple: you can receive no outside assistance from your sensei or teammates. If I declare the match to be over, then it is _over_; any attempt to continue will result in immediate disqualification. If someone admits defeat and forfeits, then the battle is over, same as the last rule. Finally, _I_ am overseeing these matches. Whatever rulings I make are absolute; if I decide something qualifies as outside assistance, than it _is_ outside assistance, whether or not you agree with me. Is that understood?"

"Hai!"

"Very good," said Mito. "The matches will be decided by that." She turned her body slightly. Anko muttered something into the headset she wore and a panel of the wall slid open to reveal a black screen. "That board will randomly choose the participants of each match. Now, we'll see who starts…"

'vs.' appeared in the middle of the board in bright yellow. Then, the board started cycling through names in kanji above and below. The top one stopped first, then a few seconds later, the bottom stopped.

"Huh… well, this should be interesting," commented Sakura.

Tenten vs. Haruno Sakura

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, how was it? Kagami Mito is a minor character who was supposed to be introduced later on, but I decided she was an easy way to avoid trying to work in Hayate's cough; I know he's a pretty popular character, but there's not much to go off of with him since he was so minor (and then killed off); I generally prefer to just honest about using an OC rather than using a canon character as some sort of "OC Substitute".  
**

**Now, moving on, I apologize for OOCness. Hinata's slight personality inconsistencies are because it's pretty hard trying to remember her slight stutter and doing it right. Same for honorifics; I'm gonna try to be more consistent with those. It'll be a relief when Hinata gets to the point where she _isn't_ stuttering at all (or at least, hardly at all).**

**At any rate, I rather enjoyed all of this, particularly the Oto genin's reaction to seeing Hinata again and Hiruzen's reaction to Sakura's self-taught strength enhancement. As for the preliminary matches, I decided those in a semi-random manner; mostly, I just rolled dice, then ignored those that contradicted particular matches that I wanted to happen.**

**Oh, and for anyone whose wondering about the cursed seal: more on that next chapter.  
**

**Also, just to let everyone know: I'm working on a "just for fun" side project; it's a variation of the time travel fic, with the character sent back being an OC who was born _after_ the current manga events. The OC would be the overall central character who provides the main POV, even if not the one who gets to accomplish everything. It is, truthfully, a semi-rewrite of _Tsurugi Shinsei_ from a few years back.**

**Alright, announcements are out of the way. Please leave a review! I _really_ want this story to be successful, and a high number of reviews tends to help with that, for some strange reason.**

**Oh, and I'm a whiny sucker who just wants to get reviews, because it's more exciting to read one than to mark notifications of favorites/alerts as "read". :p  
**


	12. Preliminaries Part I

**And yet another absurdly fast update. Yay! Though, as I've said before, a lot of my ideas involved changes to the Chuunin Exam arc.**

**Okay, first off: the poll for the main ship in this story accumulated 47 votes in the short time it was up. You can see the results if you like. Ultimately, despite those results, I've chosen to make this story NaruSakuIno. Why?**

**Well, to put it bluntly, I've done plenty of pure NaruSaku. _Twilight Legend_, _Sakura's Rebirth_ and _Perfect_ are all NaruSaku. The new side project, _A New Path_, is NaruSakuHina. So, I'm gonna stick with NaruSakuIno for this story; but Ino's joining the ship will not happen for quite awhile, so don't hold your breath for it.**

**As to the fights, well… to be honest, I was surprised by how one-sided they all wound up being. Please note that, except for two specific fights, _every_ preliminary match was chosen at random. So please, don't blame me for the fact that only one or two of them aren't completely one-sided.**

**Also, quick warning: there's a pretty big mood whiplash moment about three-quarters of the way in, with the fourth fight having a completely different tone from the third (yes, the fights were one-sided enough that we ended up with _four_ in _one_ chapter. Sorry about that).**

**Also, regarding the jutsu list: I'm giving up on that, because I realized while writing this that I kept forgetting techniques. For instance, _all_ the rookies know Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu, but I kept forgetting to list it for Sakura and Shino. Naruto and Shino also know a few genjutsu, but I likewise forgot to list those. So I'm sort of giving it up for now. Anyways, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

"Those whose names were displayed, step forward," commanded Mito. Without hesitation, Sakura and Tenten walked out of the ranks of genin. They stopped in front of Mito and turned to face one another. "The fighters for the first match are Tenten and Haruno Sakura. Not that it matters unless one of you wants to forfeit, but are there any objections?"

"No," said Sakura.

"None," added Tenten, a small smirk on her face.

"Then we will begin the first match," said Mito. "Those not participating, please move up there." She pointed towards two walkways along opposite walls, raised some twenty-five or so feet above the ground. Most of the genin immediately headed for one of the sets of stairs up, but Naruto held back briefly.

"Good luck, Sakura," he said. Smiling at him, she nodded slightly.

"Thanks."

"It's a shame that one of your students is to be knocked out in the preliminaries, Kakashi," said Gai cheerfully as he and Kakashi walked up the stairs. To his surprise, Kakashi actually answered.

"You think so? Personally, I was thinking of how sorry I feel for your student. If she's lucky and Sakura's feeling merciful, she _might_ be out of the hospital in time to watch the third exam… maybe… but probably not."

_That calm, 'cool' attitude really pisses me off…_ thought Gai.

"You really think that girl can beat Tenten so easily?"

Kakashi smirked.

"Gai, a little birdie once told me that Tenten wanted to be like the legendary Tsunade-sama," he said. "Well, she's about to see what it's like to fight someone who's chosen to become _better_ than Tsunade-sama."

"I was hoping that Tenten would have an interesting match," commented Neji to Lee. "It looks like I'm to be disappointed."

Lee said nothing.

As soon as the ground floor was cleared of everyone but the two fighters and herself, Mito gave a slight nod of approval, backing away slightly.

"Best of luck, Haruno-san," said Tenten. "You're gonna need it."

"With all due respect, Tenten-san… I think you should keep it. If you do, I might break a sweat."

"First preliminary match, Tenten vs. Haruno Sakura," announced Mito. "Begin!"

Immediately, Tenten leapt back, drawing a trio of shuriken. Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, shifting stances slightly.

_Her teammate is a Hyūga_, thought Sakura, _so she must have experience with the Jūken. That will make using the Mirāken against her very difficult. Shino's reports also suggested she was a specialist in ninja tools. So, I'll just have to play this in a way that I can't lose._

The two girls continued to eye each other.

_I've heard rumors about her taijutsu-style_, thought Tenten, _but it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, it's worthless if she can't get into close combat. Still, she __**was**__ part of a team that arrived here on the first day. I shouldn't get too careless._

Finally, Tenten leapt up into the air and tossed her shuriken at Sakura all at once.

The four shuriken hit… and 'Sakura' faded out of existence.

"What?" gasped Tenten as she landed. She looked around, trying to spot her opponent, but there was no sign of Sakura anywhere.

Suddenly, a tree sprouted from the ground behind her, branches shooting off and coiling around her body.

"This is… genjutsu?" questioned Tenten. She struggled to break out of the bind, but couldn't.

"Surrender," came Sakura's voice. Tenten felt a kunai suddenly press against her throat.

Her response was to bite her lip. The pain caused the genjutsu to dispel, and she immediately drew a kunai and stabbed it backward into her opponent's stomach. The Sakura standing behind her burst into water.

"**Magen: Jubaku Satsu**," said Sakura, standing in front of her once again. "For those who remember the basics, it can be trivial to escape from."

Tenten glared at Sakura, drawing a scroll from her belt and leaping into the air.

"Let's see how you like this!" she shouted. Weapons began to pop out of the storage scroll, and she immediately grabbed them and threw them at her opponent, a barrage of kunai, shuriken, kusari-gama and other weapons.

Sakura's response was to drop two storage scrolls of her own. The contents burst out, a huge amount of water she collected from the training grounds before the exam. She then rushed through a set of hand seals for her only high-rank Suiton ninjutsu.

"**Suiton: Suijinheki**!" she cried. The water immediately lifted off the ground, forming a constantly moving stream around her that intercepted Tenten's barrage.

Tenten landed, staring in surprise as the water fell to the ground with all her weapons in it. Sakura made a half Ram seal with her right hand, lifting the other one over her head.

"**Kirigakure no Jutsu**."

"What?" gasped Tenten. The water began to dissipate, rising and turning into a thick mist. _I can't see…_

Tenten drew a kunai, growing more worried by the second. She'd expected a bit of a challenge from a girl who finished the second exam on day one, but after looking at her, she'd honestly thought the girl had mostly been helped along by her teammates.

Now she wasn't so sure.

A slight whistling sound drew Tenten's attention behind her. She spun around, lifting her kunai and using it to intercept the kunai tossed at her from behind. It was then that she noticed cherry blossoms around her.

"Another genjutsu?" she questioned, quickly cancelling it. Her eyes widened at what was revealed.

"**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu**!"

The rookies and their jōnin instructors, watching from above the mist, all winced, feeling distinctly sorry for Tenten.

Then, the explosion went off, blowing away the mist.

Tenten was on her knees, in the middle of a small crater, panting heavily. She held a set of full-body shields around herself to take the brunt of the damage, but they were twisted, broken and worthless now, and she'd taken quite a beating herself. She dropped them, her gaze rising to Sakura who was standing across the floor from her, completely unscathed.

Grunting slightly, Tenten forced herself to her feet.

_Looks like I'll have to use 'that' already_, she thought, reaching back for two scrolls… scrolls that weren't there. _Huh? Where did they…?_

"Looking for these?" asked Sakura, holding up two scrolls. "I took them while you were under my genjutsu earlier. So, are you going to surrender, or am I going to have to start breaking limbs?"

Tenten grit her teeth.

"I'm not giving up that easily!" she shouted. Sakura shrugged.

"Have it your way," she said. Then, she turned into water. Tenten's eyes widened as she sensed Sakura coming at her from behind. She turned around and barely managed to avoid a strike at her neck. She quickly opened a storage pouch and released the seal on it, allowing her to pull a length of chain from it, which she used to grab Sakura's arm.

Moving quickly, she caught Sakura's other arm before the rosette could retreat, then dragged Sakura closer, swinging the chain to wrap around her. She did so, then pulled Sakura's back against her body, arms tightly held.

They both pointedly ignored the wolf whistles they got for the mildly suggestive position Tenten had put them in.

"Tables turned," said Tenten. "You lose."

"Sorry Tenten-san," said Sakura with a slight smile. "But I wasn't joking about breaking limbs."

Then, a second Sakura appeared behind Tenten and flicked her right leg.

"Agh!" screamed Tenten, losing her grip on the chain. The spectators almost all stared in shock, while the Sakura wrapped in the chain dissolved into water.

"Gai-sensei, what just happened?" cried Lee in disbelief.

"I do not know!" exclaimed Gai. "What is this power of youth?"

Neji, meanwhile, concerned for Tenten's well-being, activated his Byakugan. What he saw shocked him.

"Her right leg is broken," he said. Gai and Lee stared at him in disbelief.

"One limb down," said Sakura. "You want to surrender, or do you want me to break the other three first?"

Gritting her teeth through the pain, Tenten glared at Sakura. The rosette let out a sigh.

"Sorry, Tenten-san," she said. She formed the hand seals for one of the ninjutsu taught to her by Kakashi. "**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" And with that, Sakura sent a volley of small fireballs at Tenten. With her leg broken and her shield from earlier busted, there was nothing she could do as the attack slammed into her. Fortunately for her, Sakura didn't put too much force behind the technique, resulting in only relatively minor burns as Tenten fell to her back.

Mito let out a small sigh. "Winner, Haruno Sakura," she announced.

Quite of the few of the observers were utterly shocked; Sakura was only a rookie, facing off with a much more experienced kunoichi. Not only had she won, but she'd done so without even breaking a sweat.

"Sorry about that, Tenten-san," said Sakura softly, walking over to her fallen opponent as medical nin entered the room with a stretcher. Tenten, teeth grit to hold in her groans of pain, looked away, feeling ashamed of having been beaten so easily. Her opponent didn't have even a speck of dirt on her clothes.

"Kakashi, _what_ have you been teaching those kids?" questioned Gai.

"Don't look at me," said Kakashi. "All I did was teach her the water and fire techniques. Kurenai taught her the genjutsu, and the rest of that was all her."

As Tenten was taken away by the medics, Sakura performed a chakra-enhanced leap to arrive on the walkway next to her teammates.

"Show off," said Naruto.

"Says the guy who used the words 'screw you' when speaking to Morino-san."

"Feh; I spent two years living with people more terrifying than him."

"It's a wondrous story that I still want to hear about," said Sakura. "And yet, with each passing day, I find myself more and more terrified of the possible answers."

"Tenten-san… I can't believe she was beaten like that," said Lee quietly.

"It seems Kakashi's students are more powerful than we had realized," said Gai, voice serious as he pulled his students a bit away from where Kakashi was standing with his. "If either of you fight his students, you may need to go all out."

* * *

"Hey! Pay attention everyone!" called Mito. "We're now choosing the participants of the next match!"

Everyone's eyes turned to the board as it began cycling through names again.

Akadō Yoroi vs. Nara Shikamaru

Shikamaru sighed.

"At least I get my match out of the way early," he said.

"Hey, Shikamaru, put in some effort," said Sasuke.

"Make me."

"We know where you live and we know your mom won't be happy to hear you didn't at least _try_ to win…"

"Troublesome Uchiha teammate… fine!"

"And here I was hoping to fight Uchiha," muttered Yoroi as he jumped down to the 'arena'. Shikamaru walked all the way to the stairs, down them, then over to where Yoroi and Mito were standing.

"Nara-san, I heard what you said about Sasuke-san," said Mito. "At least learn to admit to yourself that you're far more 'troublesome' than they are." She gave a slight cough. "Now then, the fighters for the second match are Akadō Yoroi and Nara Shikamaru. Are there any objections?"

"No," said Yoroi.

"None that aren't even more troublesome," said Shikamaru.

"Then, second preliminary match, Akadō Yoroi vs. Nara Shikamaru, begin!"

Without any hesitation, Yoroi launched himself forward, reaching out to grab hold of Shikamaru. The lazy Nara genius bent backwards, avoiding Yoroi's swipe.

_I don't know what his capabilities are, but he's got a lot more experience than me_, thought Shikamaru. _Oh well; all I really need to do is force him to hurt himself. His body is a lot larger than mine… hmm…_

Shikamaru formed the Rat hand seal. His shadow became deformed before stretching out to touch Yoroi's shadow.

"**Kagemane no Jutsu**, success" said Shikamaru as Yoroi found himself unable to move. "Well, that was easy. Perhaps this isn't _too_ troublesome after all."

Shikamaru straightened up, Yoroi doing the same.

"So, this technique of yours forces me to mimic your movements?" questioned Yoroi.

"Yeah," said Shikamaru. "Judging from the way you rushed in, you're a close-combat type. So I guess I was probably the worst possible opponent for you."

"Maybe," said Yoroi. "But this one jutsu can't win you the fight. I'll break free of it, and in the meantime, you can't attack me without making me attack you."

"Actually…" said Shikamaru, drawing a kunai, Yoroi mimicking his actions. "I can." He thrust the kunai upwards, right at Yoroi's chin. Yoroi also thrust his kunai upwards, at nothing but air. "You have nearly a foot of height on me. That means I just need to thrust this upwards to kill you." Yoroi was suddenly starting to sweat as Shikamaru held the kunai centimeters from his chin. "You should give up."

"I don't give up so easily," said Yoroi; he refused to lose to this brat!

"Fine," said Shikamaru. He began to stab the kunai upwards when Mito's hand appeared on his wrist.

"That's enough," she said calmly. "Winner, Nara Shikamaru."

"But…" started Yoroi. He shut up, however, when Mito turned an icy glare on him. He shuddered slightly.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru," she repeated firmly. "You've lost, Akadō. There's no need for him to kill you to prove that."

"… hai…"

Shikamaru released the jutsu as Mito released his wrist. The two headed back up to their teammates.

"You should've given up when he made it clear he could kill you, Yoroi," said Okura, Yoroi's 'sensei', though the man was not in on the loop of his team's true nature. "Knowing when to admit defeat is also part of being a chūnin." Yoroi grit his teeth beneath the mask, looking away.

"These preliminaries are going pretty fast," commented Kakashi. "It's been, what, fifteen minutes? Still, that last fight was pretty boring."

"So, was that so terribly 'troublesome'?" asked Sasuke as Shikamaru rejoined his team.

"No," admitted Shikamaru. "But only because, as I said, I was the worst possible opponent for him."

"It all came down to that first strike," said Asuma. "If he hit you, he probably would've won. I think the odds were in your favor there."

"Whatever. Wake me when the matches are done."

"No," said Sasuke, grabbing Shikamaru before he could slump against the wall. "You're going to sit here and watch the matches, just like the rest of us."

"Troublesome…"

* * *

Mito stared up at the board as it cycled through names. So far, things had been easy; those rookies were really something. But she knew that, sooner or later, there would be a fight that wasn't so quick. If she was lucky, those wouldn't happen till next month.

Tsuchi Kin vs. Sabaku no Gaara

_Oh, I feel sorry for that girl_, thought Naruto. He glanced at Gaara across the room and spotted the sadistic gleam in his eyes. _Yeah… she's __**not**__ gonna live through this one…_

Gaara used **Shunshin no Jutsu** to move to the arena floor. Gulping slightly, Kin headed down to stand in front of him.

_This is pitiful_, thought Mito, glancing between the two. _The girl's gonna get thrashed. Judging by the look in Gaara's eyes, she's probably not gonna live through this._

"The fighters for the third match are Tsuchi Kin and Sabaku no Gaara. Are there any objections?"

"No," said Gaara flatly.

"N-n-no," said Kin. Whatever confidence she had was shattered by the look in Gaara's eyes.

"Very well. Third preliminary match, Tsuchi Kin vs. Sabaku no Gaara, begin!"

Unlike the previous fights, Mito proceeded to back away immediately.

Kin backed away from her opponent, drawing a set of senbon, some of which had bells attached to them. She tossed them at Gaara, but sand immediately emerged from his gourd and intercepted the needles.

Suddenly, the sand surged forward. Kin tried to dodge, but it just altered course, grabbing hold of her and surrounding her.

"You're not even worthy of my time," said Gaara. "**Sabaku Sōsō**."

Kin didn't even have time to scream before she died.

"The poor girl should've withdrawn before the fight started," said Mito, walking back over towards Gaara. All that was left of Kin was blood and gore. Ino and several others lost whatever food they'd eaten. Sakura was green, Sasuke and Shikamaru were staring at the scene before them with eyes full of shock and terror, the jōnin were impassive, and Naruto… Naruto had a sad look in his eyes.

_The most terrifying thing is knowing that I could've been him_, he thought.

"The winner of the third match is Sabaku no Gaara," announced Mito. Gaara gave a small nod of acknowledgement before he rejoined his team with the body flicker. "Now, can we get someone in here to clean this mess up?" She then turned a glare up towards those that had gotten sick. "And if your stomachs are that weak, then you have no business being here and should just walk away right now!"

"What _was_ that?" questioned Sakura as she managed successfully forced back the urge to empty her stomach and then some.

"That was the power of sand manipulation," said Naruto. "The various Kazekage have sought ways to mimic it, but true sand manipulation like that, the most powerful by far, is possible only for the human vessels of the Ichibi no Shukaku." He let out a small sigh. "At the very least, she didn't feel any pain. That attack goes off way too fast."

"You're well-read in this," said Kakashi softly. Naruto shrugged, glancing both ways to confirm no one was close enough to overhear.

"Because of what I am, I was taught a lot about the Bijū," he said quietly. "As well as the effects they have on their hosts. The Ichibi grants control of sand; Nibi intensifies the user's fire techniques; Sanbi allows the user to easily convert their chakra directly to water; Yonbi grants the user access to Yōton ninjutsu. And so on. I figured the odds of actually needing that info were low. But ever since _he_ showed up, I was really grateful for it."

"So it would seem," said Kakashi. "I should double-check with the Hokage and see if he's aware of this. But for now, you and Shino should just worry about getting through your own preliminary matches."

"Yeah," said Naruto.

Meanwhile, the other genin were having a _much_ harder time dealing with what they'd seen. Zaku and Dosu were both horrified; while neither had cared for Kin all that much, they'd never have wished something quite so bad on her.

Ino, meanwhile, was on her knees, clutching her stomach.

"Ugh… that's… horrible," she muttered.

"Yes," agreed Kurenai softly. "Consider yourself lucky that it wasn't you. And it's probably better for you to have seen this now. Mito-san was right, after all: if you don't have the stomach to deal with this, then you probably shouldn't be here."

"I know that," said Ino. "But still… what kind of monster is that guy?"

As the blood and gore that had been a teenage girl only a few minutes ago was cleaned away, Sasuke looked away from it, turning a glare on Gaara.

That wasn't killing an enemy in combat; it was murder, plain and simple. He hadn't really cared about the girl one way or another, but there wasn't any other way to really look at Gaara's actions. The cold and callous nature of it all reminded Sasuke uncomfortably of Itachi.

In a way, he didn't know what was worse: the man who killed his entire clan to test his strength, or the creature that killed merely for the sake of killing.

But somewhere deep down, Sasuke was certain that Gaara was far worse than his brother, in spirit if not in actions.

The Hokage himself, meanwhile, stared at Gaara with a critical eye.

_He murders for the sake of murder_, he thought. _Those eyes speak of an insanity I haven't seen since Mai looked into the world beyond our own… what an interesting choice, sending him here. What are you thinking, Kazekage-dono?_

* * *

Mito coughed slightly after the arena was cleaned of Kin's remains. Like the other higher-ranked ninja, she remained entirely unfazed by the grisly murder that had occurred before her very eyes. Now that the remains were gone, she wanted to get back to the preliminaries.

"Now then, if you're all feeling better, we can continue," she said. Names appeared on the board, and it once again began to cycle through them.

The first name came to a stop, and several of the rookies nearly shat themselves on the spot.

_Not me, not me, please don't let it be me!_ was the general thought running through their heads, Kiba, Chōji and Ino specifically, though Sasuke and Hinata's thoughts followed the same line.

_Yosh! Me, me, me! Oh sweet Kami, this is my chance, please let me fight him!_ thought Rock Lee, a sharp contrast to the terrified rookies.

Finally, the second reel came to a stop.

"Oh thank the kami," muttered Kiba, slumping slightly in relief as the other rookies let out relieved sighs of their own.

"No!" cried Lee in despair of his missed opportunity.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Temari

The two blonds glanced at each other before suddenly vanishing and reappearing in front of Mito facing each other.

"This is quite the surprise, Naruto-san," said Temari with a small smile. "Don't think I'll go easy on you, though, just because we're friends."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Temari-san," said Naruto, returning the taller blonde's smile. "Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to hold back the so-called 'big guns', but only because I don't want to destroy the arena or deal with our whimpier comrades stinking up the place."

Temari smirked. Watching the two, Sakura had to fight the scowl that wanted to come onto her face. Half the time it seemed like the two were flirting and that never ceased to piss her off. Why it seemed that way to her when the two were just talking about not holding back in a fight was a bit beyond her right now.

"The fighters for the fourth match will be Uzumaki Naruto and Temari," said Mito. Surprisingly, she sounded a bit more… interested, in this match. She even seemed a little excited. No doubt she'd also heard the rumors about Naruto, and was eager to see what a fight between two genin to complete the test in record time would look like. "Are there any objections? Because if there are, too bad, I've been waiting to see this since I heard your teams arrived."

"None, Mito-san," said Naruto, giving her a smile. Something indecipherable flickered in Mito's eyes—recognition, maybe?—but then it was gone and Naruto paid it no mind.

"I'm fine as well," said Temari. "Like you, Mito-san, I've been waiting for this."

Mito gave a slight nod, glancing up at the stands. Now that they weren't afraid of having to fight Naruto, almost everyone looked enthusiastic.

"Then, fourth preliminary match, Uzumaki Naruto vs. Temari, begin!" said Mito before pointedly jumping back to stay out of the way of anything more extreme the two chose to do.

Naruto and Temari didn't move, continuing to stare at one another.

"Go on," said Temari with a cocky smirk. "It's your move, Naruto-san."

"Oh no," said Naruto, matching her smirk. "Ladies first. I insist."

A minute passed like this. A few people were getting antsy, waiting for someone to make the first move. The Hokage and various jōnin were eagerly observing.

_It's like a battle of wills_, thought Hiruzen. _Who will falter first? Who will make the first mistake, leave the first opening? Are we to see what Naruto can really do, or will we learn that Suna produces extraordinarily strong ninja on a daily basis? Hmm. Take your time, you two. We have plenty of patience._

The two just continued to stare. Then, suddenly, there was a brief gust of wind before Naruto seemed to flicker out of existence, the wind halting in tandem.

"What?" said Kiba, tone utterly flat. "What the heck just happened?"

Temari was thinking along the same general lines.

_Naruto-san disappeared, and my wind along with him. What's he up to?_

Naruto reappeared in front of Temari, and she smirked slightly, finally lifting her fan as she shook her head.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she said.

"I could say the same," said Naruto. "Pleasant surprises though. You have a wind affinity, don't you? That sort of quick movement and control is pretty much unheard of otherwise."

"That's right," said Temari. "Even in Sunagakure, my affinity is extraordinarily rare. What of it?"

"I'm the same," said Naruto. "I have a natural affinity for wind-natured chakra. Spent the last couple of weeks mastering it to the highest levels. Didn't get the chance to actually learn any new Fūton ninjutsu before the exams started, but I've been working on it since reaching the tower."

"Oh? Well I've been training with wind most of my life," said Temari. "Let's see who's better at it!"

With that, Temari swung her fan, sending a miniature tornado Naruto's way. The blond merely smiled lightly, before his body burst into wind, disrupting Temari's and putting an end to her attack.

"What was that?" questioned Temari, shocked.

"**Fūton Kage Bunshin**," said Naruto, appearing behind her suddenly. The eyes of all the Suna nin and every ninja above chūnin rank (except the Hokage) widened in shock.

"Wait, **Fūton Kage Bunshin**?" said Temari, turning to face him, a look of disbelief on her face that confused most of the genin and chūnin. "But that's…"

"A myth?" said Naruto. "Yes, that's an understandable point of view. A technique that creates wind, compresses it into a solid duplicate of the user's body, then maintains it? It sounds a little farfetched. But rest assured, it's very, _very_ real. To my knowledge, I'm one of only two individuals in the world who can use it. It requires a disproportionate amount of training to be able to use, let alone master. So only myself and my onē-san have it."

Now all of the genin and chūnin were wide-eyed in disbelief as well.

_This boy knows __**that**__ fabled technique?_ thought Orochimaru, disguised as the Oto jōnin. _Kuku… perhaps I should target __**him**__ as a potential host. But there is still something troubling… he wears a cloak so like the Akatsuki… perhaps there is a connection? If so, it may be better not to cross him…_

"As you can see," continued Naruto, "wind release shadow clones have a lot more uses to them then just serving as an additional clone body. When destroyed or 'detonated', they release the wind contained within them. It disrupts over ninety percent of all wind release ninjutsu, effectively rendering the user immune to such techniques." Temari swung her fan, sending a twister at Naruto, but his body once again burst into wind that ended her attack.

"Furthermore," said Naruto, drawing her attention back to where he'd started the match, "it's possible to compress most wind release ninjutsu into the wind clone. This means its detonation can be a lot more than just cutting blades that disrupt enemy Fūtons. They can also deliver rather nasty surprises right to the opponent's face. The best part? For a master of this technique, it can consume even _less_ chakra than **Tajū Kage Bunshin**. In other words, this is a jutsu that carries effectively _no risks_ to the user. And I have a nearly bottomless supply of chakra. So, Temari-san, will you give up quietly?"

Getting her shock under control, Temari calmed herself, and gave Naruto a soft smile.

"Sorry, Naruto-san," she said, "but as I'm sure you've figured out in the last few days…" she opened her fan in front of her, "… it's not in my nature to give up. **Kamaitachi no Jutsu**!"

With that, Temari sent barrage after barrage of devastating wind technique Naruto's way. She was fairly certain Naruto was hiding somewhere nearby, so her best bet was to fill the area with wind.

"A clever move, but it's not gonna work," said Naruto. Dozens of clones appeared all over the arena before detonating and disrupting every one of her attacks. Temari panted lightly, leaping back against the wall to dodge several cyclones generated from the clones as Naruto once again appeared in front of her, not looking winded in the slightest. He smiled.

"Alright then, Temari-san," he said, leaping back against the wall. "It's my turn."

Naruto then formed seven hand seals blindingly fast—in fact, only the jōnin were able to follow it.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" cried Naruto. Then, he spat out a massive stream of fire from his mouth at Temari. The older blonde's eyes widened in shock, but before she could move, her situation suddenly got worse.

"**Fūton: Namikaze**!" shouted Naruto, unleashing a massive gust of wind that caught the fire from his first attack.

The already immense fire roared to new heights. Mito was suddenly _very_ glad she'd thought to get away. The spectators were all backing against the wall to get away from the intense heat. Temari…

Temari was frozen in shock, eyes wide as she stared at the inferno coming to consume her. Some part of her mind desperately commanded her to move, but awe and terror left her frozen in place.

Then, the combo attack reached its destination, impacting the wall with tremendous force and blasting right through it. It would've burned right through the tower, but the flames were infused with Naruto's chakra, and he dismissed them before they did anymore damage, leaving behind scorched ground and wall.

Temari was nowhere to be seen in the blast vicinity.

"Really, Temari-san, why didn't you run?" asked Naruto lightly, drawing all shocked and disbelieving eyes to where Naruto was sticking to the wall… holding a still numb Temari in his arms. He gave a slight smile as he nodded at the ample evidence of the destructive power of his offensive maneuver. "If I hadn't just pulled your ass almost literally out of the fire, we'd have been lucky to find ashes left of you."

No one said a word. Sakura, her shock over the power of what Naruto had unleashed abating, started fuming at the way he was holding Temari. The blonde in question was the next to recover her wits somewhat.

"Wha–? What are you doing jerk?" she shouted. "Put me down, right now!"

"Um, Temari-san…"

"NOW!"

"Okay," said Naruto. He pulled his arms out from under her… and it was only now that Temari realized where she was. She let out a small 'eep' of surprise as she started falling, knowing she couldn't get her fan out in time to use that. Instead, she twisted her body and channeled chakra to her legs, landing on her feet and letting her chakra absorb the impact. Naruto remained on the wall, smiling at her.

"So, shall we continue, Temari-san?" said Naruto. "Though you might want to give up after that last display."

"No way!" shouted Temari. She started sending attack after attack his way, forcing Naruto to dodge and move back to the floor as she sliced up the wall. She continued to relentlessly assault him. "You jerk! I can't believe you had the gall to pull something like that!"

"What? Save your life?" questioned Naruto, dodging a blast of wind. "Yeesh, can't be even a slight gentleman without getting called a chauvinistic jerk."

"Shut up!" shouted Temari.

"Alright, have it your way. But, tell you what: since you're being irrational, I'll go a little nuts as well. Behold!"

With that, Naruto sank into the ground.

"Huh?"

"**Mogura Tataki no Jutsu**!" shouted Naruto as he suddenly popped out of the ground behind Temari and whacked her on the head… with a little tree branch with two leaves hanging off of it.

"What the hell was that!" shouted Temari, spinning to strike him with her fan, but Naruto sank into the ground again, evading the swing.

"It's my Whac-A-Mole technique! I just invented it!" said Naruto. He suddenly appeared next to her and smacked her hip with a slightly sturdier stick before sinking into the ground as she tried to kick him between the legs. Some of the men observing might've winced in sympathy if they weren't all gawking in disbelief.

"Whac-A-Mole technique? This is absurd!" shouted Temari. Naruto appeared in front of her and bopped her lightly on the head with a little twig this time. She blinked. Then, screaming incoherently in rage, tried to claw Naruto's eyes out only for him to disappear once again.

"Absurd or not, I think I just got three hits in a row, and you haven't touched me!" said Naruto.

"Naruto! Stop showing off and finish her already!" shouted Sakura.

"Ah, come on, Sakura-_chaan_! I hardly ever get to have fun! We usually steamroll over everyone!" whined Naruto, even as he continued to repeatedly pop out of the ground, now for the purpose of tossing twigs at Temari.

"This is just silly!" said Sakura. "Fine, but you never get to call me a showoff again! Also: stop flirting with her!"

"_Flirting?_" screamed Temari. The next time Naruto appeared, she swung her fan at him so quickly that his eyes widened and he sank back into the ground without attacking. She actually managed to crack the tile where she hit the ground with it.

"Hey, don't take that out on me! And if I did flirt, could you blame me?" Naruto appeared next to her and poked her head lightly. "When you get down to it, you're pretty cute. _Especially_ when angry."

This time she tried stabbing him with a kunai, but he dodged back and sank into the ground once again. On the walkway, Sakura was seething, starting to turn purple with rage, and everyone wisely backed away from her, that is, if they weren't too busy still gawking at what Naruto was doing.

"Aha! I'm over here!" He popped up twenty feet to Temari's left. She leapt over there, slamming her fan down on him, but he was gone once again. "Now I'm over here!"

Lather, rinse, repeat. Temari had a crazed look in her eyes by this point, and Sakura had broken the railings she'd been holding and was grinding her teeth. She was now standing alone, with everyone else at least twenty feet away from her.

"Still don't feel safe," said Ino, sounding very small and high-pitched as she slowly inched away from her seething best friend.

_For all that he calls it 'Whac-A-Mole technique', it seems to be the mole doing all the actual whacking_, thought Hiruzen, face palming in exasperation.

Now crouching on the fingers of the statue in the room, Mito contemplated calling the match, but decided not to.

_With that crazed look in Temari's eyes, I doubt she'd stop if I did_, thought Mito. _Besides, it's been a long time since I've had a good laugh. Uzumaki Naruto… you really are Kushina's child._

Eventually, Temari got so enraged that when Naruto popped out of the ground again, her response was to swing her fan and send a blade of wind at him at absurdly high speeds.

This time, he didn't sink into the ground, and the blade hit home, slicing Naruto in half… only for his body to turn into mud.

"What?" shouted Temari. "A _mud clone_? Naruto, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Well, I see I've managed to royally piss you off," said Naruto. "You've even dropped the honorific…"

Temari looked around. Suddenly, Naruto started popping out of the ground only to sink back in, doing it at random, at absurdly fast speed before appearing in front of her.

"Ah, look, you're blushing," he said, grinning cheerfully. Temari sank a kunai in his eye, only to see him turn into mud once again.

"I am _not_ 'blushing'!" shouted Temari. "I'm burning up from pure _rage_!"

_Yup, she's definitely cracked_, thought Kankurō. _Kami, now I'm the only sane one left!_

"Okay, enough of this!" said Temari. "I've figured out how your little 'jutsu' works." She formed the Ram seal. "Kai!"

And just like that, the genjutsu dropped… to reveal a good chunk of the arena floor covered in mud, to the shock of all the observers. Then, Sasuke suddenly started laughing.

"Naruto, this is _great_!" he said as everyone else stared at him.

_Sasuke's cracked too now… how troublesome_, thought Shikamaru.

"Great, he's lost it," muttered Ino.

"Thank you!" said Naruto, replying to Sasuke, his voice echoing all around them. "**Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu**. It doesn't take a powerful genjutsu to hide all that mud." The mud then started forming into a small horde of Naruto clones. Teeth grit, Temari forced herself to ask the question burning at the back of her mind.

"So, where's the real Naruto?" she said. The clones all smiled and pointed upwards. Everyone's eyes moved up… and up… and up, all the way to the ceiling. What they saw once again shocked them into silence.

"Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

Narutos, lots of them, were sticking to the ceiling. Some were watching the events on the floor while eating popcorn, others appeared to be playing a videogame, and still others were gathered around tables sticking to the ceiling, playing with cards that were sticking to the ceiling.

"Wha… bu… huh?"

And just like that, Naruto had successfully broken the minds of everyone in the room.

"Hey guys, I think they finally noticed us," said one clone.

"Oh fine. And I was winning, too."

The clones all stood up. The popcorn disappeared, while the cards and tables all morphed into even _more_ clones.

Then, the clones all dropped. It was literally raining Narutos, all of them twisting in the air so as to land on their feet, cloaks flapping. Temari let out a small 'eep' of fright as the army landed all around her.

"So, ready to admit my all-around superiority?" asked one of the clones cheerfully. And just like that, Temari was seeing red again, grabbing her fan and preparing to swing it… only to realize she couldn't. She glanced back to see her fan attached by several chains to a small anvil.

"It's…" she said softly. "It's just not fair!" she wailed. While some observers might've mocked her for that later in a different situation, they mostly just found themselves agreeing with it.

"Life's not fair, is it?" said a Naruto mud clone, stretching out its body to loom above her and look down at her. "I mean, even for me, some things… actually, no, wait… let me think… huh? I guess there's nothing I can't do now that I think about it. But for you? Yeah, sorry to say, life's not fair and you're gonna lose.

With that, one of the Narutos shot forward, throwing a punch straight at her face. Her hands still on her chained down fan, Temari closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable… then felt a flick on her forehead. Her eyes opened, and Naruto was standing right in front of her, all of his clones gone. Temari jumped back slightly, and wound up falling on her butt.

"Hey, Temari-san, you win some, you lose some," said Naruto, kneeling down slightly. "What's important, in the end, is that you enjoy your life and manage to accomplish something with it. That can be something small for the people around you, or big enough to affect people you've never met and who may never even hear of you. So lighten up a little. You take all of this way too seriously."

Numbly, Temari nodded, looking over at Mito as the proctor returned to the arena floor.

"Mito-san… I forfeit," she said. Mito gave a slight nod.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Author's Notes: And there you have it. As I said, they were all pretty one-sided, even Naruto's fight with Temari and Sakura's fight with Tenten.  
**

**Kin's death made me kind of sad; it was completely and utterly pointless, as quite a few people point out. Consider the reactions a brutal reminder of just what kind of world these people are living in.**

**And then after that, I follow it up with Naruto going completely and utterly insane in his fight with Temari and acting out ridiculous antics. Hence the mood whiplash warning. And yes, having Naruto go all "Whac-A-Mole" on Temari in the same fashion as Tobi does to the 8-man squad in the anime was quite intentional; admit it, you all see that prankster pulling something like that.  
**

**For those who didn't catch on, if I'd gone with a Naruto x "Harem" story, Temari would've been the last girl. That didn't happen though, so whatever.**

**Now much more to say, other than to note that I really appreciated all the reviews I got last chapter; it's probably part of why I made sure to put in the time to do this chapter, because I really felt I owed everyone for all the great reviews. More please!**

**And, on the subject of reviews, the ones I've gotten for _A New Path_ have been surprisingly positive. I was half-expecting to get booed straight off the site for it, but I'm glad that's not the case, and that those of you who reviewed it seem to have faith in me to make it good. I'll be certain to do my best for you guys!**

**K, that's enough out of me. Can't wait to see you all again, and to be redundant, more reviews please! I'm still a review junkie after all! :P**

* * *

_**Techniques:**_

_Fūton Kage Bunshin_ – Wind Release Shadow Clone: A powerful variant of the shadow clone technique that has achieved near mythological status, this extremely rare technique produces a solid clone body that transforms into a wind ninjutsu upon destruction. A tornado of cutting blades is usually preferred, but theoretically any Wind Release technique of lower rank could be used. A side effect of the winds released this way is to disrupt air flow, stilling other winds and countering other wind release techniques.

_Fūton: Namikaze_ – Wind Release: Wind Wave: This high-level technique releases a large and powerful wave of wind from the user's hands. Although most wind techniques work by cutting or the creation of vacuums, this technique inflicts damage using debris and blunt force trauma. It is also an excellent technique to combine with fire release ninjutsu to tremendously increase the destructive power of the latter.

_Mogura Tataki no Jutsu_ –Whac-A-Mole Technique: A joke combination technique devised by Uzumaki Naruto for his fight with Temari during the Third Chūnin Exam Preliminary Matches. To perform it, Naruto utilizes Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique to hide a large amount of mud on the ground. While Naruto conceals himself elsewhere, the mud is to create Earth Release Shadow Clones, which proceed to attack with twigs and branches before turning back into mud, for the express purpose of irritating the target.


	13. Preliminaries Part II

**And here we are: the conclusion to the preliminary matches. I managed to successfully bring it down to only two chapters, helped along considerably by the number of one-sided matches the random generator provided.**

**Now, amusingly enough, the only real complaint I seemed to get was the fight between Naruto and Temari, though most seemed to find it hilarious. It's explored a bit further here; a lot of people are disappointed that Naruto hasn't had a challenge, but I should point out that there are three people in these exams (besides Kabuto of course) who could've challenged Naruto: Gaara, Lee and Neji. So, until Naruto faces off with Gaara… he honestly isn't gonna have to worry about much, except for possibly a brief scuffle with Kabuto at some point during the invasion. Otherwise, there's very little to challenge Naruto in Part I. I apologize for that, but it was kind of inevitable when he spent two years training under Itachi and Mai using shadow clones.**

**Alright, enough of that; let's move on. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and all but one of the fights you see here had the participants decided at random.**

**Disclaimer: Standard yada yada apply.**

* * *

Silence followed Mito's declaration. Most of the observers were still reeling from what they'd just seen. Naruto offered a hand to Temari as the anvil and chains disappeared, freeing her fan. After a moment of hesitation, Temari accepted the hand up.

_Unless he is severely outclassed, Shino will almost certainly win his match as well_, thought Kakashi. _I'm noticing a pattern here: almost everyone is specialized in a particular field, to the exclusion of all else. Naruto, Sakura and Shino aren't._

Hiruzen was thinking along the same lines.

_As strong as the girl was, she's cripplingly overspecialized in wind_, he thought. _All Naruto really needed to do was thrown Katon ninjutsu at her and she would be helpless._ He looked around. _But it seems he's succeeded in his other goal. I wonder if any of the genin or chūnin realize what Naruto was really up to…_

Naruto had just finished pulling Temari to her feet when he heard a scream of rage, and his eyes widened in terror.

_Crap, I'm in trouble; guess I overdid it._

Naruto, Temari and Mito all leapt away from one another as Sakura landed where they'd been, slamming her fist into the ground and leaving a sizeable crater.

"Hey, your match is done!" said Mito, but Sakura ignored her, rushing off after Naruto and throwing a punch at him, which the blond only narrowly dodged.

"Ah! Hey, Sakura! Calm down, geez!"

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? I asked you out only five days ago, we haven't even gotten our date through and your running around flirting with some foreign kunoichi hussy?"

"Hey!" shouted Temari, glaring at the rosette. Everyone else, however, was staring incredulous at the impromptu fight as Sakura continued to launch attack after attack at Naruto.

"Forehead asked Naruto-kun out?" muttered Ino. "You know, you'd think we'd have heard about something like that."

"Eh, it was inevitable," said Kiba. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Kakashi and Shino were busy face palming.

"Sakura, seriously! Are you trying to kill me?"

"I think so!"

"Gah!"

As Naruto dodged a kick that destroyed a section of the wall behind him, he felt some small sense of satisfaction.

_Looks like everyone's pretty much forgotten about what Gaara did to Kin_, he thought. _Mission accomplished; Sakura's feeling better at least. Oh shit._

Unable to evade the next punch, Naruto instead began molding chakra for his most iconic maneuver. In the split second he had before impact, he quickly assessed what he could target with the technique.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! There's nothing but people here! Well, there's that thing attached to Kankurō's back but I don't want to cripple him before his fight, Temari would kill me if her fan got damaged and I don't want to cross Gaara right now. Um… um… crap. Never mind._

Unable to find a suitable target, Naruto instead focused chakra at the point of impact.

_Boom!_

Sakura panted, her fist buried in Naruto's gut, Naruto himself currently in a crater.

"I really should disqualify her for that," commented Mito, standing next to a shocked Temari. "Well, as long as he's not hurt too badly, I guess I'll let it pass, but she really should work on that temper of hers."

The dust from the impact cleared. Naruto pushed Sakura's arm away and stood up, dusting off his cloak, seemingly completely unharmed.

_Ow…_ thought Naruto. _She's __**really**__ improving on that strength enhancement of hers…_

"How the hell did he survive that?" questioned Sasuke.

"Better question: when the hell did Sakura-chan become so insanely strong?" said Ino.

"Feeling better, Sakura?" asked Naruto. The rosette glared at him and turned away with a slight huff, jumping back up to the walkway. Naruto shrugged, and headed for the stairs. Temari decided now would be a good time to rejoin her teammates.

At this point, most of the participants were really glad none of them had been forced to fight Sakura.

Mito coughed slightly.

"Well, now that the unexpected entertainment is finished," she said, glancing up at team seven, "shall we continue with the preliminaries? To those remaining, mind your step, those craters and the holes in the wall can't be fixed in a day, so we'll be leaving them in place." She turned towards the board. "If you'd all please pay attention…"

The board began cycling through names. With the list now down from twenty to twelve, it settled on the fighters much quicker.

Inuzuka Kiba vs. Akimichi Chōji

_Finally a match that won't be incredibly one-sided_, thought Kakashi.

Kiba and Chōji glanced at one another before giving slight nods and heading for the stairs together.

"So, you and me, huh?" said Kiba. "Resident powerhouses for our teams." He grinned slightly. "You know, I'm kinda pleased to say that I'm not sure which of us will win."

"Glad to hear it," said Chōji. "Just to warn you, Asuma-sensei promised to buy me barbecue if I manage to do well, so I'm motivated."

"Good; wouldn't want this to be boring." The two arrived in front of Mito and turned to face each other.

"May the best ninja win," said Kiba.

"Wow, guess I'm probably doomed," said Chōji jokingly.

Above them, the Hokage smiled.

_It's rare to see genin from different teams get along so well_, he thought. _The group training sessions have been good for them._

"The fighters for the fifth match will be Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Chōji. Are there any objections?" said Mito, though her tone made it clear she was getting bored with asking the question.

"No," was the simultaneous answer from the two genin. The fights had been going quickly, so the routine had gotten old fast. The longest fight so far had been Naruto and Temari, but that seemed more by virtue of Naruto's prankster approach to the whole thing.

"Then," said Mito, raising a hand into the air, "fifth preliminary match, Inuzuka Kiba vs. Akimichi Chōji, begin."

Immediately, the two leapt back in order to gain space to perform their preparatory ninjutsu. There wasn't much doubt that this fight would be fast, but there was no real way of knowing the winner.

Both combatants consumed a soldier pill, Kiba giving one to Akamaru. Then, they began to initiate their jutsu.

"**Shikyaku no Jutsu**!" cried Kiba, crouching down on all fours as Akamaru leapt on his back.

"**Baika no Jutsu**!" yelled Chōji as he leapt into the air.

Mito pointedly moved out of the way; these two weren't at a level to do more than irritate her, but she didn't want to be in their way.

"**Jūjin Bunshin**!" shouted Kiba, causing Akamaru to transform into a duplicate of him.

"**Nikudan Sensha**!" said Chōji, pulling his head, arms and legs into his clothes, spinning rapidly, and shooting Kiba's way.

_Crap, he's got fewer techniques to worry about_, thought Kiba. _Oh well._

"**Gatsūga**!" cried Kiba, shooting forward with Akamaru, each spinning like a drill.

The two drills crashed into the human bullet tank. For a few seconds, no one was sure what would happen… then Kiba and Akamaru suddenly went flying away as Chōji continued forward.

"Damn, he's got momentum on me," said Kiba. "I gotta find some way to stop his spinning. If I do that, then this is over!"

Chōji proceeded to turn his spin, heading for one of the Kiba's.

"You know, one day, I'll figure out how he can see like that," remarked Naruto lightly.

"Who do you think will win?" asked Kakashi idly.

"Hard to say; it all comes down to whether or not Chōji can hit the real Kiba before Kiba can stop his spinning; all factors considered… the odds are _slightly_ in Kiba's favor. But odds aren't everything."

Down on the ground, Kiba and Akamaru were desperately dodging Chōji's unceasing onslaught, leaping into and out of the craters Sakura had created when she'd attacked Naruto prior to the fight.

"I'm impressed," said Mito lightly. "I don't think I've seen this much damage done to an area by genin in years."

"I'm so glad you're _so_ satisfied with what you're seeing!" shouted Kiba. "Gah!"

"Though I have to wonder what kind of genin could've caused this sort of damage in the past," remarked Sasuke. Asuma took a drag on his cigarette.

"Mostly a girl named Kazekaika Mai; whatever happens though, do _not_ speak that name within earshot of Mito."

Naruto overheard the comment and had to stifle a chuckle. Itachi always did say Mai had a penchant for causing collateral for the fun of it…

Back on the ground, Akamaru's transformation had been released, and he was currently attached to Kiba's head as the Inuzuka panted, grateful for the momentary reprieve after dodging the latest attack. But Chōji was quickly coming back around.

_He can't possibly maintain that forever, can he?_ wondered Kiba. Then, he remembered what Chōji had said about a reward from Asuma for doing well. _Never mind, he can. Wow, I think I just might be totally screwed. Unless…_

Kiba tossed down some smoke bombs. Chōji avoided rolling through the smoke, instead performing another circuit of the arena while waiting for the smoke to wear off. He then spotted Kiba running for it and rolled the way.

Chōji smashed into Kiba and Akamaru and right into the wall.

"I did it! … oh crud, are you guys alright?" Chōji released the jutsu… only to reveal that he was alone. "WHAT?"

"**GATSŪGA**!" roared Kiba, shooting in from behind with Akamaru.

The two hit Chōji head on, knocking him into the air before turning about and striking him again and again, knocking him continually into the air. Then, the technique came to an end, and Kiba and Akamaru both punched Chōji in the gut, sending him flying to the ground.

Chōji hit, creating a small crater. Kiba and Akamaru landed, panting, and staring at the crater.

The dust cleared to reveal Chōji lying down, unconscious. Mito leapt forward, checked on him to confirm, and gave a slight nod.

"Winner, Inuzuka Kiba," she called.

"Phew… sorry Chōji," said Kiba, slumping to his knees and releasing his jutsus.

"He's not too badly hurt," commented Mito. "We can probably put him up on the walkway and let him watch the remaining matches if he wakes up." She looked up to Asuma. "You want to do that?"

Asuma nodded, appearing next to Mito with the body flicker. "Sure," he said. "Chōji will probably want to see Sasuke's match if nothing else."

* * *

"**Bunshin no Jutsu**," commented Naruto idly. "There really wasn't much to let Chōji see through that." He thought, briefly, of the moment just after Chōji hit the wall where Kiba and Akamaru leapt out of one of the craters to perform their attack. "Well, it was kind of interesting, if short. Especially with all those craters Sakura made."

"Hmph."

"Oh, come on Sakura! You can't stay mad at me forever! Yeesh, I meant what I said when you asked me out a few days ago; am I suddenly _not_ supposed to be able to appreciate how other girls look or not have female friends?"

"Well, no, but still…"

"Seriously Sakura, you need to lighten up a little. Temari-san is _just_ a friend, and I honestly don't see her as anything else." He smirked. "Besides, did you _see_ how angry she got at the notion that I might be flirting with her? She was probably envisioning a thousand different horrible, slow and extremely painful deaths for me. Kind of hard to concentrate in that situation."

"Ugh…"

Meanwhile, Kiba was welcomed back to his team with congratulations from Hinata and Ino.

"To be honest, I thought I was going to lose there at the end," said Kiba. "I'm just lucky Sakura tried to kill Naruto before my fight, or I wouldn't have had anywhere to hide."

"You can congratulate each other and boast later," called Mito. "We're still only halfway through the preliminaries. They've mostly been quick, and I for one appreciate that, so let's continue."

With that, everyone's attention turned back to the board for the sixth time in the last half hour or so.

"Oh… _fuck_…" muttered Kiba. Next to him, Hinata was trembling.

Hyūga Hinata vs. Hyūga Neji

Standing not too far away, Neji had a broad smirk on his lips. Gai and Lee both seemed worried by this match, even as Neji jumped over the railing, quite eager to get to this match.

"Hinata, just quit," said Kiba. "This bastard's more than any of us can handle, and you _know_ he's going to try and kill you if you give him the chance."

Hinata was still shaking. Even Kurenai and Ino seemed to think that she should quit.

_No…_ thought Hinata. She glanced at Naruto, and that was enough. She could feel whatever fear she felt melting away as she looked at him, and she stopped shaking. _I can't run away. Running away won't solve anything!_

To team eight's surprise, Hinata headed for the stairs.

"Hinata-chan, what are you doing?" demanded Ino before Naruto appeared next to her.

"Let her go," he said softly. "She needs this. Hinata-san needs to prove, if only to herself, that she can handle all of this."

When Hinata arrived in front of Neji and Mito, her cousin was surprised to see that there was absolutely no fear in her eyes.

"Do you feel confident?" questioned Neji. "Do you believe your destiny is to be victorious here?"

Hinata stared at Neji evenly.

"Neji-niisan… a wise person once told me that there is no destiny," she said. "There is only the future we make for ourselves."

The rookies and their senseis all stared at Hinata in shock, remembering the day that Naruto had said that to her. He'd claimed it was something told to him by his adoptive sister, but wouldn't say anymore on the matter.

"No one can prove that," said Neji. "Our fates were decided before we were even born. There will be no changing that."

"_I_ will change it," said Hinata. "It may not be today, it may take a long time, but I _will_ change it."

"She sounds confident," said Ino softly. She glanced at Naruto, who was watching Hinata intently.

"It's Naruto," said Kiba. "No matter how you look at it, Naruto always inspires confidence in her."

"Yeah…"

Mito glanced between the cousins before letting out a sigh.

"You're family history has no importance to this," she said sternly. "Now, the fighters for the sixth match will be Hyūga Hinata and Hyūga Neji. Are there _any_ objections?"

"It would be irrelevant if there were," said Neji.

"I have no objections," said Hinata.

"Very well. Then, sixth preliminary match, Hyūga Hinata vs. Hyūga Neji, begin!"

The two immediately activated their Byakugan and slid into the Jūken stance.

"What an arrogant proclamation," said Neji. "You truly believe you can defy destiny. But we are all bound by destiny, and no force can change that."

"We'll see."

With that, the two went on the offensive. Neji lashed out first, taking advantage of his greater reach, but Hinata slipped under it and shot her open palm forward at his chest. Neji, however, easily twisted his body out of the way and swung his leg around to sweep Hinata's feet out from under her, only to see her perform a **Kawarimi no Jutsu** right as she started to fall… substituting with him so as to throw his attacks off for the split second she needed to recover.

"Outside of team seven, Hinata's the strongest rookie," said Sasuke. "But that guy… there's something about him. I'm not sure that even Naruto could fight him on even footing."

Kiba and Ino both gulped in fear, terrified by the notion of their Hinata facing an opponent that could've potentially challenged Naruto… and who hated her with a passion.

_Neji-niisan is stronger and faster than I am_, thought Hinata, appearing behind him and striking out, only to have him effortlessly dodge. _And for use with the Jūken, his eyes are superior to mine. Even still…_

Dodging another attack, Hinata leapt back and into the air, forming hand seals.

"**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" she cried, sending fireballs hurtling Neji's way. However, her cousin dodged these attacks as easily as he did any other.

"You would shame the Jūken by resorting to ninjutsu?" questioned Neji calmly.

"No technique is without weakness," said Hinata as she landed. Neji shot forward, but she managed to dodge. "Not even the Jūken! If we allow arrogance to deny us avenues to strength, then we are unworthy of our pride as the strongest of Konoha!"

At that instant, Hinata's hand came into contact with Neji's chest. His eyes widened in disbelief.

There was a small explosion of chakra, pushing the cousins away from one another.

_My attack did nothing_, thought Hinata. _How did he…?_

"Heh… I acknowledge, you're more impressive than I had been led to believe," said Neji. "But… it does not change your destiny!"

With that, Neji launched on the offensive, moving so quick it caught almost everyone off-guard. Before Hinata even had time to blink, he was right next to her, lashing out for an open palm strike. Hinata narrowly avoided.

_Neji-niisan can resist my attacks and is the prodigy of the Hyūga_, thought Hinata. _Even still, I…_

Hinata launched her own attack, striking Neji in the side. Her eyes widened, realizing how he'd stopped her attacks.

_No way! He…!_

Neji's next attack hit Hinata in the stomach and sent her flying.

"Hinata-chan!" cried Ino.

Hinata coughed, forcing herself to her feet.

"You…" she said, "you really… learned to do 'that'?"

"So you noticed," said Neji, smirking at her. "What will you do now? Are you ready to accept your fate?"

"No…" said Hinata. She drew a kunai with an attached explosive tag. "If I cannot fight you with the Jūken, then I'll just fight you by other means!"

"The girl's got guts," commented Anko. "I like her."

"As it happens, I agree," said Ibiki. "She's different from when all this began. Her determination is far greater than it was when she chose to remain in the exams."

Hinata threw the kunai at Neji, forming the Ram hand seal to detonate the explosive tag remotely. Neji, of course, saw the attack coming and easily evaded. However, Hinata then moved to the wall and tossed a kunai at Neji, which he dodged. She threw another one his way, then a trio of shuriken in rapid succession, but Neji evaded all of it.

_Almost there…_ thought Hinata, tossing five shuriken at once, and then following up with several more kunai.

Not wanting to reveal his trump card just yet, Neji decided to dodge.

"That won't work either, Hinata-sama," he said. "Give up."

To everyone's surprise, Hinata smirked from her place on the wall.

"Your eyes aren't as strong as you say they are, Neji-niisan," she said, forming the Ram seal.

"Hmm?" Neji had the Byakugan active, so he was looking in all directions at once and able to process it efficiently. But that didn't mean he actually noticed everything.

Now, he did, and his eyes widened in surprise.

At that instant, the explosive tags wrapped around each kunai detonated all around Neji.

"Yes!" said Kiba. "Get him Hinata!"

"Yeah Hinata-chan, show that prick what you're made of!" cheered Ino.

When the smoke cleared, Neji was panting, bruised, and seemed to have a few burns. He was in _much_ better condition than he should've been after standing in the middle of so many explosions, but it was clear that Hinata had done more damage just now than Neji did with his earlier blow. And, evidently, Hinata had managed to finally piss him off.

"Your defiance of fate is _not_ amusing," said Neji, walking over to where Hinata was still clinging to the wall with even more weapons in hand.

Then, Neji disappeared, reappearing next to Hinata and striking her with enough force to send her flying off the wall, causing her to lose her grip on her weapons.

_Wait, when did she…?_

The wall under Neji's feet suddenly exploded, sending him flying. In the instant he struck her, she'd also somehow managed to get an explosive tag on her arm. What in the world…?

Hinata, getting back to her feet as she coughed, was holding her hands in the Ram seal once again.

"If I… if I detonate that tag, you may never regain the use of that arm…" she said, coughing up a small amount of blood at the end. "I… I'm not like you, Neji-niisan. I'm not a genius the way you are… but still… even still… I'm not going to give up!"

"Hmph… it doesn't matter what you do… how many times do I have to say it? You can't fight fate!"

With that, Neji shot forward, creating a burst of chakra on his arm to slice up the explosive tag. Hinata glared at him as Neji entered point blank range. His arms moved with incredible speed to strike Hinata repeatedly, but she ignored the pain as her own arm launched forward and slammed into Neji's chest.

Neji went flying backwards, hacking up blood along the way. Hinata collapsed to her knees, coughing up a small puddle of blood.

_That last attack of his… he can see the Tenketsu?_

"You…" growled Neji, pulling himself to his feet.

"You say… that you can't fight fate, Neji-niisan?" said Hinata, dragging herself back to her feet. "But right now… aren't you fighting it… with everything you've got?"

Neji practically saw red this time as he shot forward like a bullet. Hinata deflected one blow, but the other one slammed right into her chest, and Hinata coughed up a huge amount of blood.

_Shit…_ thought Mito. _If this goes on much longer, she'll die from blood loss._

"Give up!" shouted Neji, pulling one hand back to strike a killing blow. "Or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" asked Hinata softly. "Will you kill me, Neji-niisan? Will you defy the destiny of having to protect me?"

Neji froze. Hinata smiled.

"I'm sorry… Neji-niisan… I can't do anything for you… but I… I…"

"You what?" shouted Neji. "What is it?"

"I want to help you…" she stepped forward, and Neji stepped back. "But I can't give up… there's someone I admire watching me… so I…"

Though her body was trembling from the pain she was in, Hinata lifted them back into the Jūken stance.

"I will… defy destiny… and create my own future!" As she spoke, Hinata seemed to gain strength. "That… is my way of the ninja!"

"Hmph… you're pathetic… a weak little excuse for a ninja who relies on others to protect her," said Neji. "You don't _deserve_ what you've got!"

Neji lashed out, even as Hinata's body finally surrendered and she began to collapse. Before his attack could connect, he was slammed into the ground by Mito.

"You know, I really can't stand arrogant pricks like you," she said, catching Hinata. "Anyways, the match is over. Winner, Hyūga Neji." She stepped off of him, carrying the now unconscious Hinata in her arms. "Now get out of my sight."

It was a shock to everyone, _especially_ Hiruzen, to see Mito act up like this. Something Neji did managed to rub her the wrong way.

As Mito started to carry Hinata towards the doors through which the medics would be coming momentarily, Kiba and Ino leapt over the railing to rush over and check on her.

"There's no way of knowing how bad her injuries are without the Byakugan or a medic checking her," said Mito. She glanced at Ino as the medics entered. "You should get back up there. You're match might come up soon."

"O-okay, but…"

"I'll stay with her," said Kiba reassuringly. "I won't be able to cheer you on, but I'll make sure Hinata's okay."

"Alright… thank you Kiba," said Ino.

As Neji walked past him towards his team, Sasuke spoke up.

"You disgust me," he said softly.

"Oh?"

"You're an arrogant fool who lords his superiority over everyone else, who puts down people who look up to him and who allows himself to believe some all-consuming fate controls everything."

Sasuke finally turned his head, looking at Neji with a one-eyed Sharingan-enhanced glare.

"I'm going to make it through this… and I swear that I am going to beat you down during the third exam."

"Hmph." Neji otherwise ignored the threat and continued onwards.

"Hinata-chan," murmured Sakura. Naruto stared after her as she was taken away by the medics.

"We need to go checkup on her as soon as these preliminaries are done," said Naruto. "I hope she'll be okay."

"Yeah," said Sakura. "She really admires you, doesn't she?"

"Maybe… I honestly don't know… but I'm glad she's taken my words to heart."

"Baka," said Sakura with a small, fond smile.

As Mito returned to the middle of the room, she kept one eye on Neji.

_That arrogant attitude of superiority… he's no different than that traitorous bastard Itachi… if he doesn't get some sense knocked into his head soon, he'll end up the same as Itachi did as well._

* * *

There wasn't much talk left in anyone. Hiruzen looked around the arena and sighed.

_This is gonna take weeks to fix…_ he thought.

"If everyone would please turn their attention back to the board," said Mito. "And yes, I know we're all getting tired of this 'routine'; live with it."

The board scrolled through names. It was getting faster and faster each time, as there were fewer and fewer people to choose from.

Then, it came to a stop.

"Yes!" cried Lee enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting his teammates behavior in the preceding match.

Rock Lee vs. Tsurugi Misumi

Lee and Misumi both immediately jumped down into the arena.

_Well… at least this should be short_, thought Mito as the two came to a stop in front of her. She coughed slightly to draw people's attentions.

"The fighters for the seventh match will be Rock Lee and Tsurugi Misumi," she said. "Are there any objections?"

"No!" said Lee, sounding _very_ enthusiastic.

"I have none," added Misumi calmly.

"Then, seventh preliminary match, Rock Lee vs. Tsurugi Misumi, begin!"

Later, Naruto would swear he must've blinked to miss what happened, because the next thing anyone knew, Misumi was flying across the arena and crashed through the wall.

"Oops?" said Lee. He looked up at his sensei. "Gai-sensei! Did I overdo it?"

"Not at all my fine pupil!" said Gai. "You have demonstrated for all of us the fine powers of the flames of youth!"

"Yosh!"

Mito walked over to the hole in the wall. Misumi was passed out, lying at an awkward angle, his mask gone to reveal the blood coming from his broken nose and lips.

She coughed, walking back over.

"Well… that was the shortest match I've ever seen," she said. "Winner, Rock Lee."

As Lee and Gai cheered, everyone else was face palming in exasperation or staring at Lee with incredulous expressions.

"Unbelievable," said Kakashi. "Gai… you're too much."

"So very, very glad that wasn't me," said Ino.

"He was _far_ too enthusiastic about that match," muttered Neji to himself.

* * *

There wasn't anything to say about the last match other than 'don't mess with Rock Lee', so everyone was paying attention to the board by the time Lee got back to Gai.

Kinuta Dosu vs. Kankurō

_Finally_, thought Kankurō, heading for the stairs while Dosu leapt over the railing.

The two arrived in front of Mito, who let out a small sigh.

"Usual routine," said Mito. "No objections I trust?"

"Of course not," said Kankurō.

"I don't see any reason for the pattern to change now," said Dosu. Mito nodded.

"Good. Now, eighth preliminary match, Kinuta Dosu vs. Kankurō, begin!"

Dosu immediately shot forward as Kankurō started to pull the cloth-wrapped object off his back. Dosu swung his fist, using the melody arm (one of several spares he carried) to generate sound which he immediately manipulated to attack Kankurō's ears.

A few seconds passed during which Dosu waited to see the effect of his attack. Then, Kankurō dropped the object he'd been holding up before suddenly launching forward, his skin cracking off in the process.

"What?" gasped Dosu.

'Kankurō' had soon shed the entire disguise, revealing instead a puppet that wrapped its arms tightly around Dosu and started to squeeze.

Dosu struggled to get enough movement for his right arm to use the melody arm, but the puppet held him too tightly.

"You're pretty predictable," commented Kankurō, the cloth unraveling to reveal him hiding within. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that thing on your arm is important to your combat strategy." He tugged his puppet strings, causing the puppet to squeeze a bit tighter.

"You're cripplingly overspecialized," continued Kankurō. "Of course, after seeing some of the guys in these exams, I'll admit to the same for myself and Temari. Still, for this fight, it's worked out to my advantage."

"You… you used **Kawarimi no Jutsu** to switch with this puppet, didn't you?" said Dosu.

"Obviously," replied Kankurō. "His name's Karasu, by the way. Anyways, I'm not inclined to spend forever talking about it. I'd like to get these preliminaries over with, cause I need to smack Naruto for what he put my sister through. So…"

Karasu's grip tightened.

"Agh! W-wait, I…"

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you," said Kankurō with a faint smirk. "Just figured I'd break a few bones… say, those arms of yours?"

Two of Karasu's arms switched their grip, grabbing Dosu's biceps and squeezing.

"Argh!"

_Crack_...

Naruto winced in sympathy.

"Bones breaking, never fun," he said.

"Ugh…" Dosu collapsed as Karasu released him.

"Nice pain tolerance," complimented Kankurō. "So, got any tricks left to throw?"

"No…" admitted Dosu. "I forfeit."

Mito nodded.

"Winner, Kankurō," she said. Kankurō nodded, picking up the cloth and quickly weaving it back around Karasu before strapping the puppet to his back once again. Dosu, meanwhile, headed for the doors where the medics soon entered, leading him out to get his limp arms treated.

"Hah… Kin and Dosu were pathetic," commented Zaku, glancing at his sensei. The Oto jōnin just smirked faintly.

_No… I think Dosu was the only one of you to figure the truth out_, thought Orochimaru. _Zaku… you poor little fool._

"Hey, Kankurō, did you really mean it about smacking me over my fight with Temari?" called Naruto.

"Yes!" said Kankurō. "Temari may think of you as a friend, but I for one don't like you all that much!"

"Ah. I guess I'll have to work on changing that. We'll talk later."

"Naruto-kun really weird's me out sometimes," commented Ino. "If he were a bit saner, then he'd be the ideal man."

"I am so glad not to be the focus of your attention anymore," said Sasuke.

"Oh, don't get me wrong Sasuke-kun, you're cute, and you have that troubled aura that makes girls swoon," said Ino. "But at this point, I mostly just enjoy teasing you. You really get a lot cuter when you're annoyed."

Sasuke scowled.

"Ah, perfect!" said Ino.

* * *

"Everyone! Attention on the board!" called Mito. "Only two matches to go!"

The board was cycling through the four remaining names before anyone looked up, and by the time they did, it had already landed on the first. The second followed by the time the last person had their eyes on the board.

"Hmm…"

Abumi Zaku vs. Aburame Shino

Shino acted immediately; he'd quietly reconned all his potential opponents over the last few days, and had already determined how to fight each and every one of them.

And so, as he headed down to the arena for his fight, kikaichū were already moving unnoticed through the room and crawling into Zaku's arms.

"The fighters for the ninth preliminary match… oh, forget it, do either of you want to forfeit?"

"Hell no!" said Zaku.

"No," said Shino calmly.

"Alright. Then, ninth preliminary match, Abumi Zaku vs. Aburame Shino, begin!"

"The match is over," commented Naruto. Sakura and Kakashi both nodded.

"And once again, crippling overspecialization… loses the day," said Kakashi.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun… I'm gonna try my best," said Ino, glancing at her former crush. Sasuke nodded.

"If I hold back, it will only be enough to avoid hurting you."

"Thanks."

Down on the ground, Zaku raised his arms, preparing to toss his decapitating airwaves at Shino.

"You don't want to do that," said Shino.

"More like _you_ don't want me to do this!" said Zaku. "**Zankū**–"

That was as far as Zaku got before his attack burst out of his arms just above the elbows. The eyes of everyone except team seven (including the Hokage) widened in shock.

"I told you that you didn't want to do that," said Shino, suddenly appearing behind Zaku.

"Shino's gotten that fast?" questioned Sasuke.

"As soon as I knew who I would be fighting, I began my preparation," said Shino. "By the time the match began, it was already over. I've plugged up those annoying holes in your arms."

"But… how…?"

"I am an Aburame," said Shino. "If you do not know what that means, then you have no place here."

"ARGH!" screamed Zaku, spinning about to try and strike Shino with one of his limp arms. Shino disappeared, reappearing behind Zaku.

"And I was trained under Sharingan no Kakashi with some of the finest genin Konoha has ever produced," said Shino. "Compared to my usual experience, you appear to be moving in slow motion."

Then, Shino struck Zaku with enough force to send him flying. Zaku spun, hitting the ground and rolling. Before anything else could be done, a swarm of kikaichū appeared and completely covered Zaku's screaming form, consuming his chakra in seconds before crawling off of him and returning to their host.

Mito shook her head.

"The Aburame clan is frightening," she commented. "I'm glad you're on our side. Winner, Aburame Shino."

"As if there was any doubt," said Chōji.

"Gah!"

Sasuke and Ino both leapt away from Chōji in shock.

"Chōji!" said Sasuke. "When did you wake up?"

"About the point that Ino confessed to fangirling only for the sake of irritating you."

Sasuke and Ino both scowled.

"So anyways, what happened while I was out? Where are Hinata-san and Kiba?"

Ino looked down.

"Hinata-chan… got hurt, fighting Neji," she explained. "Kiba went with her and I stayed, since I still had my fight to get to."

"I see… sorry to hear that. What about the other matches?"

"Rock Lee took out Tsurugi Misumi in less than a second," said Sasuke. "Then Kankurō of Suna took out the mummy-head with a puppet. That was about it."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Shino walked back up to his teammates, while the medic nins came in to take Zaku away.

"You really don't fight fair, Shino," commented Naruto with a slight smile.

"It's only cheating if you get caught, and if you've already won, it doesn't matter anyways," said Shino, quoting, word for word, what Naruto claimed one of his senseis had once said to him. Naruto chuckled, Sakura giggled, and Kakashi gave a distinct 'eye smile'.

As team seven chatted idly about their matches, Sasuke and Ino headed down to the arena.

"You're sure about this Ino?" said Sasuke. "With this… thing that's on me right now, you're **Shintenshin no Jutsu** may be very dangerous to you used against me."

"Then I'll just try some other way," said Ino. "Promise to give me a chance by not using the Sharingan?"

"I'll use it if you turn out to be strong enough that I need it."

"So, if I'm gonna win, I have to take you out before you realize I'm gonna win. Got it."

The two came to a stop facing each other in front of Mito. All the jōnin were eyeing the two genin, especially Sasuke.

Yesterday, shortly after teams eight and ten arrived, Hiruzen had pulled Sasuke aside to attend to his cursed seal, explaining a bit more about the seal to him. Anko had talked of her personal experience with the seal as Hiruzen prepared to place a seal over Sasuke's cursed seal to contain it.

The Hokage had warned Sasuke that the seal used would rely on Sasuke's strength of will to contain the cursed seal itself, and apologized for not being able to do something better; the seal masters responsible for suppressing Anko's cursed seal to the point that it took a direct encounter with Orochimaru to make it resurface were long dead.

Sasuke had accepted what was said and explained, then spent the rest of the day unconscious after the seal was placed. Still, he'd woken up in time for the preliminaries, and now could safely use his chakra without unleashing that damnable cursed seal placed on him by that son of a bitch snake.

Mito's expression was odd as she stared at Sasuke, trying to gauge him by expression and how he held himself.

_He's a lot warmer than Itachi was_, she thought. _Much more like Mikoto; all right Sasuke-kun, let's see if you can make your clan proud. Just… go easy on the girl._

"Any objections?" she asked, schooling her expression back to neutrality.

"None," said the two in unison. Mito nodded.

"Then, final preliminary match, Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yamanaka Ino, begin."

Immediately, Ino leapt back, knowing she couldn't hope to match Sasuke in taijutsu. And, as Sasuke pointed out, her **Shintenshin no Jutsu** was probably a bad idea to throw at him, plus he knew enough of how it worked to probably evade it.

"**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" cried Ino, sending fireballs flying at Sasuke. Sasuke bounced around, avoiding them as he formed hand seals of his own.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!" said Sasuke, sending the much larger fireball Ino's wait. The Yamanaka heiress successfully evaded the attack, pulling out a kunai with an explosive tag.

"How many explosions can we throw around in these exams?" questioned Hiruzen. Then, he remembered that Naruto knew how to detonate his clones, and decided to merely be content that Naruto dispelled his clones during the fight with Temari rather than actually detonating any of them.

The kunai-bomb was thrown Sasuke's way. Sasuke responded by throwing a shuriken to deflect it, then proceeded to follow it up with a whole mess of shuriken and kunai, topped off by a single fūma shuriken.

"Where are they pulling all of this from?" questioned Asuma. "Because I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any storage seals since Sakura took out Tenten!"

Ino successfully dodged all of Sasuke's thrown weapons, as well as the stream of fireballs sent her way, but it turned out to be only a diversion, as Sasuke appeared behind her and grabbed hold of her, pinning her arms to her body and hugging her against his to limit her ability to struggle.

"I just want this on record," said Sasuke loudly. "I am _not_ interested in you Ino."

"Yeah, I figured that out," said Ino. She laughed weakly. "Alright, alright, I get it. Mito-san, I forfeit; Sasuke-kun has me locked pretty good here."

Mito nodded.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke," she said. "This concludes the preliminary matches for the third exam."

Sasuke immediately let Ino go, turning to walk away. Then, Ino bounced onto his back.

"I _knew_ you liked me you big flirt!" she said cheerfully. Sasuke growled in irritation as several others laughed. "Ah, you're angry again! Perfect!"

* * *

The losers remained on the walkways while the winners (sans Kiba) were instructed to gather on the ground, in one of the few places left that was relatively undamaged by the matches—just scorching from Naruto's wind-fire combination attack. Mito stood in front of the nine.

"You have all passed the first two exams, plus the preliminary matches," she said. "Congratulations on making it to the third exam, and your chance at promotion to the rank of chūnin. Hokage-sama will now explain the exam itself to you."

With that, Mito stepped aside, allowing Hiruzen to step forward to where she'd been standing.

_Counting Inuzuka Kiba, there are eight from Konoha, two from Suna_, he thought. _On top of that, more than half of them are rookies… well, that is if you actually qualify Naruto as a rookie. Heh…_

"Like Mito-san, I wish to extend my congratulations to all of you for making it this far," he said. "Now, as to the matter of the main matches; they will be held in a stadium in Konoha in one month's time."

"Why one month?" asked Sasuke.

"As I said earlier, there will be many important individuals attending these exams," said Hiruzen. "The purpose is, after all, to show you off to potential clientele. It takes time, and these individuals are often very busy people. In addition to that, it will give you all time to recover and to train. Some of you have revealed all your secrets; others still have secrets to throw around. This month will give you time to prepare yourselves to fight specific opponents, to cover specific revealed weaknesses, or to learn new tricks with which to catch your opponents off-guard. It will be different from the situations you faced in these preliminaries, where you knew nothing of the opponents you could be facing."

He took a drag on his pipe.

"Now then, I'm sure you're all eager to leave, relax, and prepare," he said. "But before that, there is one last thing you must all do to help us prepare. Anko will bring a box around to each of you, and in that box are papers. You are each to take one."

"And if anyone tries to take more, you can learn a bit more about Ibiki and I," said Anko with a sadistic smirk as she walked to the genin on the left—or right, from her point of view.

Then, once everyone had taken a paper, she stepped back.

"Okay, everyone got one," said Ibiki. "Now, tell me the number on your paper, starting from the left."

"Two," said Sakura.

"Ten," said Naruto.

"Three." Shino.

"Eight." Sasuke this time.

"Four," said Shikamaru.

"Seven," said Neji.

"One! Yosh!" said Lee, enthusiastic as ever.

"Nine," said Gaara with his usual monotone.

"Six," finished Kankurō.

"Then that means Inuzuka Kiba is five," said Ibiki, nodding slightly as he wrote on the clipboard he held as each announced their number.

"We will now show the match-ups for the tournament," said Hiruzen.

"Wait, seriously? _That's_ what we drew for?" said Sakura as most of the others stared at the Hokage and proctors in disbelief.

"Ibiki, show them."

Ibiki nodded, stepping forward and showing them the clipboard.

Rock Lee vs. Haruno Sakura

Aburame Shino vs. Nara Shikamaru

Inuzuka Kiba vs. Kankurō

Hyūga Neji vs. Uchiha Sasuke

Sabaku no Gaara vs. Uzumaki Naruto

* * *

**Author's Notes: Just for the record… except for those last two, all the matches were decided at random. The order they occurred in was also random, except for that last one, which had to be last unless you wanted to miss out on all the others.**

**I'm well aware of how differently the Neji/Hinata fight went in canon; call it a bit of artistic license of the original work to support the story better here. Also, just for the record: I know how each of those fights will go… except for the first one. I honestly have _no_ idea who will win that first fight, because yes, there is a way for Sakura to potentially win in spite of Lee being insanely powerful. I will explore this stuff in the actual fight, no sooner.**

**Next, please do not ask me about or make suggestions regarding Naruto's training over the next month. I know what I'm doing there, and you'll just have to wait and see it for yourselves. Also, Sakura's potential new costumes are still open for debate.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed that. Please leave a review, and I hope to see you all soon.  
**


	14. Jiraiya

**This whole chapter is pretty self-explanatory really. I do have one amusing thing to note.**

**I screwed up the end of the last chapter; remember how Kiba left to keep an eye on Hinata? Why did I suddenly have him reappear at the end of the last chapter? Answer: because I'm an idiot. I rewrote that part, removing Kiba from a place he wasn't supposed to be, and had to actually redo a bit of this opening scene for the same purpose.**

**Other than that, the only thing to note is: Naruto's comment that Mai and Itachi could beat the Densetsu no Sannin in their sleep is either a personal belief or just him trying to rile someone up. Whether or not he's right is irrelevant. I am _not_ getting into a "who is stronger? Itachi or Jiraiya?" debate. I consider them of roughly equal full power (including kekkei genkai and senjutsu) and leave it at that.  
**

**Disclaimer: Stand_…_ ah, screw it.**

* * *

Rock Lee vs. Haruno Sakura

_Why me?_ thought Sakura. _Why did __**I**__ have to fight that freaky bushy-eyebrows taijutsu nut?_

_No! To fight my lovely flower Sakura-chan! How can this be?_

Aburame Shino vs. Nara Shikamaru

_Him? How troublesome… I should really just quit now, but then my mom… ugh…_

_Shikamaru-san, hmm? It seems to be the worst-possible match-up for him._

Inuzuka Kiba vs. Kankurō

_Damn, I was hoping for Naruto_, thought Kankurō. _Ah well, I'll make do. I just hope Gaara goes easy on him, for Temari's sake._

Hyūga Neji vs. Uchiha Sasuke

_Perfect_, thought Sasuke. _Beating him is probably gonna take everything I've got; I can't get worn out in earlier fights. But to beat him… I'm gonna have to work hard. I wonder…_

_Heh… Uchiha Sasuke… I wonder if you're the one she spoke of… if so, then I'll delight in showing you the truth of fate as well._

Sabaku no Gaara vs. Uzumaki Naruto

_Gaara, huh? Good, I don't want any of my friends to be forced to fight him…_

_Uzumaki Naruto… I've been looking forward to this since the day we met…_

The nine genin continued to study the tournament chart. The winners of the first two matches would fight each other, as would the winners of the last two matches. The winner of the third match would fight against whoever won the fight between the first two match winners. The winner of that fight would then fight whoever won the match between the last two match winners.

"An elimination style tournament?" questioned Sasuke.

"That is correct," said Hiruzen. "Keep in mind that victory does not guarantee promotion, nor does losing guarantee you won't get promoted. Whether you win or lose, promotions will be based on your performance; the observing village councils and jōnin will all have their opinions; they offer up recommendations to the village leaders who will also be present to observe the matches, and then those leaders decide who will and will not be promoted. Victory merely assures more chances to show off and prove your worthiness for promotion."

"Plus, victory can also prove your strength, leaving a positive impression on people," commented Naruto. "But if you just brute force your way through the whole process, even if you win the entire thing, you won't get promoted."

"Correct," said Hiruzen with a smile. "Now then, you are all aware of who you will be fighting in the first round, and of the potential opponents you may face. Some of you may even be certain of who will be the victor in other matches, and will plan accordingly to face them at some point yourselves. Your jōnin instructors will show you to a seal of return that we've prepared to transport all of you back outside of the training zone. I wish you all the best of luck."

* * *

Orochimaru stood in the shadows of a building on the outer edges of Konoha, speaking with his favorite subordinate and spy, Yakushi Kabuto.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" murmured Orochimaru. "He's an interesting kid. Powerful, too."

"Recruiting him may be wise, Orochimaru-sama," said Kabuto. "Though we don't know how the cursed seal will interact with his… unique circumstances. He is a jinchūriki after all."

"Yes," said Orochimaru. "Despite that, he dresses in the style of the Akatsuki. Kuku… he'd almost be an ideal body, even without a kekkei genkai to offer. He is quite strong."

"Yes, and growing at an exponential rate," said Kabuto. "Given time, he might surpass even you, Orochimaru-sama."

"I agree," said Orochimaru. "It's interesting, is it not? I would've thought being what he is would damage his prowess, but if not the power of the Kyūbi, it seems he has mastered being a jinchūriki. An ideal host for the Bijū."

"What sort of effect do you think it could have on the invasion?"

"I do not know," admitted Orochimaru. "But if he can control even a fraction of the Kyūbi's chakra, then he can overpower Gaara easily…" Orochimaru paused, turning the possibilities over in his head before a small smirk grew on his lips. "But perhaps we can exploit that to our advantage. I am beginning to think it unlikely that we can destroy Konoha; the boy has thrown too much of a wrench into our plans. But we can certainly take out Sarutobi-sensei, dealing a severe blow to the village. If Naruto does not use the demon fox's power, then Gaara will cause extreme damage and we will be able to finish the job. If he _does_ use the fox's power, it will likely stoke the villagers' fears, and we can use that to draw him to us with the cursed seal. Even if that doesn't work, Sasuke-kun has always been a boy overshadowed by his brother; to be overshadowed by his peer will help drive him to us as well."

"As ever, Orochimaru-sama has thought of everything."

"Enough flattery Kabuto," said Orochimaru. "Even I am not perfect, nor invincible. Itachi and that bitch girlfriend of his could each overpower me without lifting a finger. Fortunately, they care little for Sasuke-kun's fate, and as Akatsuki is coming after me anyway, drawing the Kyūbi into my fold should not be that dangerous where they're concerned. Besides, it was the last on their list of targets."

"I see. Is there anything you need of me?"

"It may be wise to capture Sasuke-kun soon," said Orochimaru. Kabuto looked up at him in surprise. "When we fought… he came at me without fear of death. There was no concern for his vengeance. As an avenger, he should be determined to live until he accomplishes his revenge, and yet he seemed willing to sacrifice all of that for the sake of those pathetic so-called 'friends' of his. He cannot be allowed to get himself killed before it is time."

"But he should have no reason to go after Gaara, the only true threat to him," said Kabuto. He thought about the match-ups for the main tournament, as explained to him by Orochimaru. "In fact, he will likely be injured fighting the Hyūga… and then left unattended while security focuses on the stadium… particularly if we were to let hints of the invasion 'slip'."

Orochimaru gave Kabuto a sly look.

"This… is why I keep you around, Kabuto," he said with a small chuckle. "Understand that you will never become a new body for me, Kabuto. You're far too valuable as my right arm. And unlike even Kimimaro, I know you will warn me when I am wrong. There are times that I need that."

"Thank you for saying so, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru chuckled.

* * *

After leaving the forest, the rookie genin all rushed immediately to the hospital to check-up on Hinata. When they entered, they found Kiba waiting in the reception area.

"Yo!" he said. "The docs said she'd be fine, but they're currently treating her, so we can't go in to see her."

"That's a relief," said Ino. "That Neji… Sasuke-kun, you better beat him into a pulp."

"Sasuke's fighting Neji?" questioned Kiba. He shook his head. "Okay, could you guys tell me what happened after I left?"

"Sure."

The genin sat down in the waiting area, except Chōji who was taken by Asuma to get checked up, while Kurenai went to talk to the doctors about Hinata's condition, leaving Kakashi to read porn and watch the remaining seven rookies.

"So one month to prepare for a tournament huh?" muttered Kiba. "You said that Kankurō guy I'll be fighting uses puppets?"

"Yeah, it's kind of creepy," said Ino.

"Hmm… I think Akamaru and I could probably handle it, but I guess we shouldn't get careless," said Kiba. "If I win, then my potential opponents are Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Sakura or Shino?"

"And if you somehow win that one, then it's Naruto," said Sakura. "No offense Sasuke-kun, but if you do beat that Neji guy, you're still not gonna stand a chance against Naruto."

"No offense taken," said Sasuke. "I got the hint when Kakashi told Asuma and Kurenai that you've been holding back since you got here."

"Eheh… not so much 'holding back' as 'saving three awe-inspiring and/or nightmare-inducing trump cards that I was instructed not to use until the exams'," said Naruto.

"That leaves the rest of us in the same situation," said Sasuke. "Anyways, right now, I need to focus on being able to beat Neji."

"You really seemed to dislike him," said Shikamaru. Sasuke nodded.

"He reminds me of someone," said Sasuke. "When he was fighting Hinata, the way he looked down on her… well, let's just say I've been where Hinata was, after a fashion, and leave it at that." Sasuke let out a small sigh and the group fell silent after that.

"Well, we shouldn't focus on that," said Naruto with a small shake of the head. "We've all got some major preparation ahead of us. Gaara's going to be a nightmare to face even for me."

"Would you all like some advice?" asked Kakashi suddenly, looking up from his book lazily. They nodded. "Work separately. Focus on individual training. Find teachers who can help you in the fields you'll need to win. And finally, research your opponents so that you can know their weaknesses."

The rookies seemed to be turning that over. Finally, Sasuke spoke up.

"Kakashi, do you think you could find some time to help me?" he asked, surprising everyone. "Neji's mastered his Byakugan, but I only awakened my Sharingan recently. You have one, right? I could really use your help."

"Depending on how much of my time and help my own students need," said Kakashi. "If I have some time to spare, I'll help you."

"We'll probably be working together, though I'm not sure how much you can help with the training I have in mind," said Naruto.

"Perhaps," said Kakashi. "You should probably tell me about it. And I suppose it'll be interesting to see how you three fight one another if you _know_ what each of you has been doing."

"We can talk later, at the training ground," said Naruto. "Then tomorrow, you can talk to Sasuke-san about what sort of training you might do with him."

"Sounds like a plan," said Kakashi. "Anyone else want to ask for any training from me?"

"Nah, I should probably focus on taijutsu—that's my area of expertise," said Kiba.

"Too troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

"Very well," said Kakashi. "Then, Sasuke, I'll meet you in front of the Academy tomorrow at noon to discuss your training." With that, he disappeared.

"Sasuke-san, you want to be two hours late," said Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei is _always_ late."

"Thanks for the tip."

Not long after that, Kurenai returned; after agreeing to Sakura's request to help her with genjutsu, she took the students to see Hinata.

* * *

"So… you've returned," said Hiruzen softly as he sat back down behind his desk. The man standing across from him shrugged.

"Figured I'd come take a look at things," he said. "Been awhile since I did any research here, and besides, my sources suggest Orochimaru is planning something here sometime soon."

"I could've told you that just from what happened over the last week," said Hiruzen. "Your network is slipping, Jiraiya."

"Whatever sensei," said Jiraiya. "How have things been? Has there been any sign of Naruto?"

Hiruzen laughed at this, completely and utterly confusing his student.

"Ah, Jiraiya, your network has _really_ gone down in quality," he said. "Naruto returned to the village just over three months ago to enter and pass the academy graduation exam. He's on a team under Kakashi."

Jiraiya had gone slack-jawed. It was really quite amusing.

"He's also the most powerful individual currently in the Chūnin Exams," continued Hiruzen. "Hasn't even shown off all his tricks yet. He's mastered wind element chakra too. Things have been quite entertaining since he returned; you've been missing out."

"I can tell," said Jiraiya, snapping his head back in order. "So, does that mean he'll be in the finals?"

"Yes," said Hiruzen. Jiraiya grinned.

"Well then, I think I've got some significant catching up to do," he said. "Besides, one can never have enough training, though I probably shouldn't make it _too_ easy on him."

"You should," said Hiruzen. "Otherwise he probably won't bother with you."

"But… I am the legendary, gallant Jiraiya-sama, sage of the toads, world-class super pervert and mightiest of the Densetsu no Sannin!"

"Small name, big ego as far as he's concerned," said Hiruzen with a laugh. "Well, if you're eager to train him, you should find him quickly. I'd start with Training Ground 7."

"Makes sense if he's being taught by Kakashi. Speaking of which, I need to talk to him anyways. Alright, I'm heading out now."

With that, Jiraiya left under the body flicker. Hiruzen chuckled, and pulled out his crystal viewing orb. He needed to see this.

* * *

After checking in on the unconscious Hinata, the rookie teams had gone their separate ways, with team seven heading for their usual training grounds.

"So, the general agreement is that we have our clones doing most of the skill training separately while we focus on improving our bodies with the usual physical training together?" asked Naruto. Sakura nodded.

"Of course," she said. "It only makes sense, and that's how we've usually done things. If nothing else, it'll also give us free time for our date."

"Heh… still, just for the rest of today, I'd like to hang out at the training ground. Relax a little before I start working out how to turn the country into a crater."

"You were serious about that, weren't you?"

"Somewhat; at any rate, can we also all agree to gather information on our opponents together? Gaara didn't show us much."

"No, he just went right for the kill," said Sakura. "That still gives me the creeps. I thought Zabuza was bad."

The three arrived at the main training area, with the posts off to one side next to the pond. The grounds had changed considerably since they started using it; a cliff dominated the view, with numerous waterfalls coming down into a single large pool of water that ran off into several creeks with stylized wooden bridges over them. Massive trees surrounded the main clearing, and on top of the tremendous raised area of the cliff was a lake from which the waterfalls all flowed.

It was a near-paradise for a ninja seeking to run the bulk of the standard training exercises, and for many other reasons besides.

There was, however, something unusual: a man was standing in the middle of the area, slack-jawed, eyes wide with disbelief as he looked around, long-white hair swaying slightly in the wind.

"Who's that guy?" questioned Sakura. Apparently, the man heard her, spinning around, no sign of the apparent disbelief with which he'd been looking around a moment ago.

"Who am I? How can you not know? I am the great and gallant Jiraiya-sama!" he boasted.

"Hey, either of you know what he's talking about?" asked Naruto, feigning ignorance.

"Not a clue," said Sakura, playing along. Shino decided to do so as well.

"I am not familiar with that name."

The look on Jiraiya's face—slack-jawed, eyes wide, head turned into a square—was so very, very worth it.

"Well, I guess he did tell us his name," said Naruto. "Should we introduce ourselves?"

"I don't think so," said Sakura. "After all, this rude old man has intruded on _our_ training ground."

"Sakura is right," said Shino. "It seems to me that we should expel the intruder rather than indulge him."

"Oh, come on!" whined Jiraiya. "I was just looking for someone and was told I could find him here!"

"Well, the only people here regularly are us and Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto. "He's probably run off to read his ecchi novels somewhere he won't get caught by us."

"So, if you're looking for Kakashi-sensei, you probably won't find him for the rest of the day," said Sakura.

"If, however, you are looking for us, then explain yourself and be quick," said Shino.

"Or we really will expel you from our training grounds," finished Sakura.

"Ah, what a scary bunch you are," said Jiraiya. He thought about what his sensei had told him regarding not making Naruto work for the training, and considering Naruto's reaction to him, he figured he'd take the advice—a little. "Well, I heard a rather inspiring tale of a brilliant young genin and thought I might offer my services as a teacher. It would seem, however, that you're not interested, so I guess I should be going."

"You do that," said Naruto. "It's not like you could've taught us anything anyways."

"And what makes you say that? I am the great Jiraiya, the Gama-Sennin and teacher of the legendary Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō!"

"Yeah? Well we're getting taught by the _student_ of the Kiiroi Senkō," said Naruto. "And you're not a 'Gama-Sennin'; you're an 'Ero-Sennin'."

"What?"

"I can see that book sticking out of your shirt," said Naruto. "It's from the same series Kakashi-sensei is always reading. We're getting taught by one pervert already, we don't really need another one."

"Ah, but I'm not just a pervert!" boasted Jiraiya. "I'm…" here, his voice turned _really_ creepy, "a _super pervert_!"

"Whatever," said Naruto. "A super pervert does not a powerful ninja make. I should know; my nēsan and niisan weren't perverts and could probably trash the Densetsu no Sannin in their sleep."

"Ah, so you've heard of the Densetsu no Sannin? Then you should know that I am the mightiest of them all!"

"Nope, never heard of you," said Naruto lightly. Sakura and even Shino were struggling to maintain straight faces. "I've heard of Jiraiya the Gama-Sennin of the Densetsu no Sannin, but never of Jiraiya the Ero-Sennin."

"That's me!"

"Really?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow in a deliberately slow motion. "Prove it."

Jiraiya bit his thumb, smeared the blood on his arm and performed the hand seals for the summoning technique.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" he cried, slamming his palm on the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was standing atop a horse-sized toad. "How's that?"

…

"Where the hell did they go?"

Standing on top of the cliff behind Jiraiya, Naruto and Sakura had buried their heads in their arms to muffle their laughter. Shino's lips were twitching.

"Yeesh, those three are deliberately trying to piss me off, aren't they?" remarked Jiraiya, sitting down.

"Hey! Jiraiya-chan! Why the hell did you summon me?" demanded the toad he was sitting on.

"Sorry Gama," said Jiraiya. "I was trying to prove to some brats who I am."

"And they disappeared? Wow, must be skilled brats."

"You're telling me. Of course, one of them is _his_ kid."

If Gama could've choked, he probably would've just now.

"Are you _serious_?"

"Yeah," said Jiraiya. "I was kind of hoping to have him sign the contract. Care to help me find them?"

"Sure."

Team seven did not overhear this conversation, instead heading over to have a short, fun spar on the water, even though they knew it would give away their location.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!"

"**Suiton: Suijinheki**!"

"**Doton: Doryūheki**!"

"**Fūton: Namikaze**!"

"Naruto! That's not fair!"

Sakura and Shino's defenses crumbled before the might of Naruto's combination attack. Jiraiya and Gama, taking notice of the fight, started heading up the cliff.

"Let's see you use those jutsu at point-blank range!" said Sakura, attacking Naruto from behind with a trio of water clones.

"Yipe! Hey, be careful with those kunai!"

"You can recover," said Shino, throwing kikaichū shuriken at Naruto.

"Two on one isn't fair!"

"Hey, it's only cheating if you get caught, right?"

"I just caught you!"

Jiraiya and Gama reached the top and spotted Sakura throwing punches and kicks at Naruto; he noticed that her style resembled the Jūken somewhat, but it added in kicks and used closed fists. In addition to Sakura, Naruto was dodging swarms of kikaichū trying to attach themselves to him.

"Don't think I'm that easy!" said Naruto. "**Bunshin Daibakuha**!"

_Boom!_

Sakura and Shino were both thrown backwards, while Naruto appeared behind Sakura and struck her several times in each arm, rendering her arms limp. She spun around, throwing a kick his way, but Naruto leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Jiraiya whistled appreciatively as he approached.

"You three aren't bad," he said. "Forget training just one of you, I think I could have fun teaching all of you."

"The sentiment is appreciated, Ero-Sennin," said Naruto, dodging a kick from Sakura. "But to be honest, I'm not sure how you can help us."

"Well, you haven't told me what you can do," said Jiraiya. "Why don't you three halt your spar for a bit and tell me about it? I'm interested in learning more of the students of Sharingan no Kakashi."

Sakura struck Naruto, sending him flying backwards. Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief that her frail body could achieve such tremendous strength, but then 'Naruto' puffed out of existence.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" "**Fūton: Namikaze**!"

These words were cried by about a half-dozen clones each, with the Fūton users standing over the crouching Enton users. The blaze sent Sakura and Shino's way was enormous.

"That's a bit much!" said Sakura. She and Shino both formed hand seals. "**Kawarimi no Jutsu**!"

They swapped places… with Jiraiya and Gama.

"Gah!"

Jiraiya saw what was coming his way and immediately fled with Gama as the blaze struck the water where he'd been standing, sending up a massive wave of steam.

"Overkill much?" shouted Sakura.

"I don't believe there is any such thing," replied Naruto.

Jiraiya and Gama, on the opposite side of the steaming lake from team seven, were panting as they stared through the steam at the three.

"They're nuts," said Gama. "The Boss will probably _love_ the kid."

Jiraiya couldn't help but nod in agreement before the two proceeded around the lake, figuring it was better then going through the steam and still hot water.

"Very impressive," said Jiraiya. "Now, could I _please_ hear more about what you can do? I've figured out by now that you're not serious about not knowing who I am."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," said Naruto lightly. "Oh, right, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Haruno Sakura."

"Aburame Shino."

Heading back down to the main training area, if only to get away from the heat of the lake, team seven settled down next to the posts and gave Jiraiya a basic list of what they could do. To say it was impressive for genin three months out of the academy would've been an understatement.

Then, when Jiraiya heard that Sakura had taught herself the secrets behind Tsunade's legendary strength, he nearly had a heart attack. _Especially_ after she proved that, while she hadn't perfected it just yet, she wasn't bluffing about it either. Though, Jiraiya was quick to realize she did not possess Tsunade's natural physical strength, had a much smaller chakra reserve, and could only use it for attacks, unable to use it to increase her strength for other things (like the time Tsunade went berserk over Jiraiya and Orochimaru's near-deaths at the hands of some Iwa nin in the Second War and started tossing boulders).

"You three are terrifying," said Jiraiya with a slight smirk once he got over his shock. "Very impressive. Well, you told me what you could do, so let me see what I can do to train you; first things first, though, what do you know about summonings?"

"I know that I'm already committed to a contract," said Naruto. Jiraiya blinked at that.

"I don't really like toads," added Sakura.

"I would prefer a contract with something that better supports my talents," finished Shino.

"Heh… you read my mind," said Jiraiya. "Alright, so I guess offering you guys a shot at signing the toad contract is out. Sorry Gama."

"No problem Jiraiya-chan," said Gama. "It's the Boss who's likely to be really disappointed."

With that, Gama disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"So, what contract is it that you've signed, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya. The blond smirked.

"It's a secret," he said. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Alright, I guess I'll just have to stick around for the tournament and hope you use it," said Jiraiya. "Hmm, but given that, I'm not really sure what to teach you three. Heh, it's been a long time since I taught anyone, so I guess I'm overeager. Shouldn't be stealing you away from your sensei, though I might be able to offer Sakura-chan a technique or two requiring long hair."

"Hmm, something to make this hair useful?" said Sakura. "That could be interesting."

Jiraiya laughed lightly.

"It always is," he said. "Although… I do have one technique I could teach you all… but if I do, you have to keep it a secret, okay?"

"Okay…"

* * *

By the time Kakashi arrived at the training grounds several hours later, team seven had unveiled to Jiraiya their secret training method, greatly shocking the Gama Sennin, and mastered the technique he'd decided to teach them, one he claimed to have never taught anyone else.

"Jiraiya-sama?" questioned Kakashi, eye wide with disbelief.

"Yo, Kakashi," said Jiraiya. "What a fine bunch of kids you've got here. Really admire that trick with the clones, but you probably shouldn't have gone around teaching that to genin."

"Mah, Naruto's the one who taught Sakura and Shino," said Kakashi. "I just… didn't stop him from doing so. He learned it from the people who took him from the village—their identity is a pretty big secret—and they also taught him about using the clones for training."

"I see," said Jiraiya. "Must've been talented people." Jiraiya winced slightly as Sakura reduced a boulder to tiny rocks with a flick of the finger. "That girl is the scariest of the bunch."

"Yes," said Kakashi. "Jiraiya-sama, I'm glad to see you, but we need to talk."

"I was thinking the same thing," said Jiraiya. "But now's not the time. Best to do it in private. For now… well, I'm gonna try to help them with their training a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," said Kakashi. "I'll probably be a little busy helping to train Sasuke for his own match against Hyūga Neji. If he wins, he won't beat Naruto in the next match though."

"Tell me about it… I don't know if it's the trick with the clones or natural talent, but he's better than either of his parents at that age," said Jiraiya. "Well, we'll talk later. I'll leave them to you." Then, Jiraiya left with the body flicker, and Kakashi let out a small sigh, walking over to his students to discuss their training for the next month.

* * *

The next morning, while team seven met to discuss joint recon on their opponents, Kakashi and Jiraiya met atop the Hokage Monument.

"So, Kakashi, why don't you start?"

Kakashi nodded slightly.

"Jiraiya-sama, I need to ask… a few favors of you," he said. "First off, no matter what happens, do not tell Naruto of his ancestry."

"Sensei thought it best to keep that a secret for the time being anyway," said Jiraiya. "Kid seems pretty bright, though; what makes you think he hasn't figured it out on his own?"

"He has suspicions," said Kakashi. "But he's not sure he's ready to know for certain. He did, however, ask that I be the one to tell him, so…"

"I see… how much do you know?"

"I know that Minato-sensei is Naruto's father," said Kakashi. "I know that his mother was Uzumaki Kushina. I know that his mother was the previous host of the Kyūbi. But not much beyond that."

_He doesn't know that Naruto's birth is what allowed the Kyūbi to escape_, thought Jiraiya. _That's probably for the best; I'm sure Naruto doesn't need that on his shoulders._

"That will probably be enough," said Jiraiya. "When you tell him, you can add that serving as the Kyūbi vessel is something of a heritage for him, and that he's probably the only one who could contain it."

"Thank you for telling me that."

"If Naruto wants to hear the truth from you, then you're the one he'll hear it from," said Jiraiya. "I certainly don't have the right."

Kakashi was silent in response to that. Truth be told, he didn't feel he had the right, for much the same reason Jiraiya didn't.

"Anyways, what else was there?"

"Well… seals are another part of Naruto's heritage," said Kakashi, "but not something I'm especially good at. If you're going to teach him anything, that should probably be it."

"I was thinking along those lines anyway. What else?"

"Sensei's legacy," said Kakashi. "**Rasengan**, **Hiraishin** and the technique Minato-sensei never managed to complete. I want Naruto to learn all of that. He's chosen a future for himself where he becomes a Hokage to surpass all his predecessors. I want to do everything I can to help him in that."

"He has the potential to do it," said Jiraiya with a slight nod. "I'd be glad to help too, but you know that the only people alive who know the secrets of **Hiraishin** are Minato's former bodyguards, and they never got it to even a fraction of the level Minato did."

"That's the other thing; where's Naruto's inheritance? Where did Sensei leave the secrets of his techniques?" Kakashi looked away from the village to Jiraiya. "I've been thinking about asking Hokage-sama, but…"

"I'll ask him for you," said Jiraiya. "You just focus on getting those three ready for the exams. And speaking of getting ready, there's the matter I needed to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"It's about an organization calling itself 'Akatsuki'…"

* * *

Hiruzen sat in his office, ignoring his paper work entirely for once, instead focusing on what he was writing.

One didn't get to be his age in this world without being prepared. In this particular case, though, he wasn't preparing for survival.

He was preparing for the worst case scenario; his death.

There were many things he still had left to do, yet it wasn't quite time for some of it.

At his age, in his line of work, he had written hundreds of wills, hundreds of letters in case he didn't make it past the next mission, past the next war, the next battle… but this was the first time he was writing something for someone outside his family.

This particular 'letter' was for Naruto, to be opened only after Naruto learned of his heritage, and then only in the event of Hiruzen's death. It would share with him many more secrets; secrets even Jiraiya and Kakashi were not privy too.

Though they'd had no intention of dying on the day their son was born, Minato and Kushina had prepared a legacy for him many months in advance. The techniques Minato was famous for were only the beginning, but even Hiruzen did not know the extent of their legacy. This letter would merely tell Naruto where to find the secrets that only he could access.

He did all of this because, while he had no intention of dying either, like Naruto's parents, Hiruzen knew the chance was always there.

"Best of luck one way or another Naruto," said Hiruzen. "I hope that I am there to see you inherit their legacy."

* * *

After going about setting themselves up for recon, team seven went their separate ways—Shino heading back home to search his clan archives, Naruto and Sakura to prepare for their date later today.

"Crap, crap, crap!" muttered Naruto, tearing through his closet. "All I've got are white pants, black pants, black shirts, those hideous orange jumpsuits that don't fit anymore anyway, several dozen hats and thirty cloaks of only mildly differing styles!"

Naruto paused.

"I spent _way_ too much time with Itachi-nii and Mai-nē," he muttered to himself. "Need to get myself an updated wardrobe… hoo boy…"

With that, Naruto rushed from his apartment.

* * *

Fortunately for Naruto, Sakura wasn't likely to notice his tardiness—she was too busy worrying about what to wear herself.

"Ah! I can't believe I don't have any good dresses for a date!" she cried, running from one side of her room to the next. "With all that time I spent obsessing over Sasuke-kun, how can I not have a _single_ good dress for a date?"

Yuko watched her daughter run about in a panic with an amused smile on her lips. She was wondering how long it would take before Sakura would think to ask if Yuko had any old dresses—which she did, but she actually hadn't pulled them out. Her opinion was that Sakura was a little young to be wearing dresses on dates.

Eventually, Yuko decided to simply intervene, if only so that Sakura would still have time to prepare. After all, didn't want Sakura to be late for the first date of her entire life.

"Sakura, sweety, calm down," said Yuko, drawing her daughter's attention. "You don't need to panic, and you certainly shouldn't go all-out for the first date. I'm sure Naruto-kun will be happy with whatever it is you choose to wear." She smiled. "Now, would you like some help getting ready?"

"Yes please," said Sakura with a small, nervous nod.

* * *

**Author's Notes: That was fun; next chapter: Naruto and Sakura's date. If anyone has any ideas for outfits, I'm all ears. If not, I'll try to figure something out on my own.**

**One thing I've always found interesting in fanfiction with relation to Naruto and the Cursed Seal is that it either works as normal, works better or doesn't work properly/at all, yet no one bothers to, you know, have Orochimaru actually think about the implications of putting something like that on a jinchūriki until _after_ something's gone wrong. Speaking of Orochimaru, I hope you all like what I've done with him; to me at least, he comes across a little less egomaniacal than in canon and a bit more thoughtful of what he's potentially dealing with. In canon, especially Part II, he suffered major badass decay, with his effects limited to what he did to/for Sasuke and Kabuto, and letting Kishimoto show off the power of the Four-Tails form. I'm hoping to avoid that decay of Part II, though his badass decay in Part I is justified and thus, probably won't be a concern.**

**I'm sure some of you were hoping for more exploration of the long-term implications of Naruto's fight with Temari as it relates to the Sand Siblings. That's next chapter.**

**As for Jiraiya offering to train Naruto instead of being persuaded like in canon, also explained, but my experiences have sometimes seen people ignoring the explanation; I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm suggesting anyone failed to get it, I just prefer to be cautious. Speaking of, you can start guessing at what Jiraiya taught to team seven before Kakashi showed up. If you succeed, congratulations, reward yourself with a cookie once I let you know, because it's kind of obvious.**

**And if anyone's wondering about Naruto using that combination technique on that level in a spar with his teammates, I think I've proven they're all insane. Plus, Naruto was ready to swap them with the clones.**

**Okay, that's enough, time to continue my long-standing tradition: please review! I'm _begging_ you!**

**Ja ne! :)  
**


	15. The Date

**Sorry about the delay; the chapter, in general, was done awhile ago, but I wanted to revise it and make sure the whole thing worked out the way I wanted it to and in a way that people understood the viewpoints of the characters without needing me to explain it in any way.**

**This chapter will finally give you a bit more background on Naruto's time outside the village, and reveal snippets here and there about Mai. I don't want to go into too much detail on that stuff; by leaving it only vaguely defined, I retain tremendous flexibility with the background, which I think is for the best, because if something comes up that requires a change, I can generally pull it off through a new piece of background rather than having to retcon things.**

**As the title implies, much of what goes on here is the date, but I'm not really that good at writing this sort of stuff, which is why I usually skip over it, but that seemed like a cheap cop-out here, especially since the focus for this story is on the friendship/romance aspects, not the action. But again, I suck at this sort of stuff, so it largely winds up being exposition, some on the history between Naruto, Itachi and Mai, some on Naruto and Sakura's own history, and a few other things, including poking fun at a common trope.**

**As for the rest… well, just read and find out.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any associated characters or settings. I own the OCs, and that's about it.**

* * *

Day one of thirty: reconnaissance and Naruto and Sakura's date.

There were, of course, clones and kikaichū to do the recon. Since Sakura could not produce a legion of clones like Naruto or swarms of bugs like Shino, she felt really left out and useless in that regard. Perhaps she should look into a summoning contract to fill in that weak point.

Regardless, her primary concern right now was her date with Naruto. Noon was approaching, and she waited at the Hokage Monument Viewing Platform for him to show up.

She was a little early, too anxious to wait till the appointed time to head out. Following her mother's advice, Sakura had foregone make-up or fancy clothes, instead dressing in a simple white-sleeved red t-shirt and white skirt combination.

As her mother had said, this was Naruto, her teammate and someone who had seen her at her messiest. She didn't need to go around dressing up fancy for him, because he was among those people who knew her best.

Sitting there, waiting for him, it occurred to Sakura how strange it was, and how much had changed in just the last few months. She used to put Sasuke up on a pedestal—one he didn't want to be on and that he would be the first to admit was delusionary on the part of his fangirls. Thanks in no small part to Naruto's influence, Sakura the fangirl was no more, leaving in place a much more clear-headed Sakura the kunoichi.

Sasuke was handsome and talented, but he was also anti-social and very easily annoyed by others, probably because none of them had suffered through what he had.

It was a stark contrast to Naruto, who'd been plain or even goofy looking, thick-skulled and utterly untalented, at least trying to be social and annoying everyone very easily, because of what he was and the contempt he suffered for that.

Naruto and Sasuke were as alike as they were different… or at least, up until Naruto's two year training excursion. He'd become taller, held himself with a firmer confidence, and there was a subtle shift in his facial expressions that brought out just how handsome he could really be. Appearance wise, it helped that he'd dropped the horrible jumpsuits.

Having experienced the shadow clone training personally and learned of Naruto's secret, she'd come to realize that Naruto wasn't a prodigy or genius—at least, not in the traditional sense of the words. Naruto wasn't actually as smart as Sakura, Shino or Sasuke; he was simply absurdly well-read and very, _very_ clever. It was that clever, out of the box thinking that was Naruto's talent, not any so-called 'natural talent'. He circumvented weaknesses and found loopholes. Sakura could learn more from a single shadow clone than Naruto did from ten, but it was hard to notice this given that Naruto could produce over a thousand.

Regardless, it all made it clear to Sakura that Naruto literally clawed his way up through raw determination and a unique breed of hard work to break the rules. Sasuke had gotten to the top on natural talent—Naruto got to the top by earning it.

She wondered, idly, if Sasuke realized that. At a guess, she'd have to say that he probably did; he wasn't an egomaniacal prick anymore. His fangirls may have only seen his looks, but Sakura would have to say that if she were to still like Sasuke in a romantic sense, it would be because he really was a person worthy of love.

However, he was the person who'd captured her attention with looks and a 'cool' attitude. Naruto was the one who'd captured her fascination through who he was: a boy growing into a young man, filled with an iron will and a determination that defied fate itself.

_That_ was Naruto. That was the sort of person Sakura hoped to spend her life with.

That thought running through her head, Sakura smiled and waited for her date to arrive.

* * *

Naruto himself was currently on his way to meet Sakura; his own outfit was a simple pair of blue jeans with an orange t-shirt. He hoped she wouldn't mind the color, but he thought he looked good enough like this.

However, although he was finally going on a date with Sakura, half his mind was on something he'd seen earlier.

Naruto had never looked inside a Bingo Book before; he preferred leaving that to the sort of highly trained ninja who could deal with those in the book.

However, while shopping for clothes, he'd had a brief run-in with Kagami Mito, apparently studying her Bingo Book. Something had caught his eye, and he'd asked if he could have a look. After a brief moment of hesitation, she'd allowed it, but only for a moment.

That moment was all Naruto needed to confirm just who Mito seemed to be focused on.

Itachi and Mai. He guessed that could make some sense, but given that Orochimaru was supposed to be lurking around he would've expected the snake to be her focus. But no, it was Itachi and Mai. Compounded with Asuma's comment to never mention Mai around Mito, it left Naruto wondering.

He'd also learned some more about the two; for example, the massive bounties on their heads. Itachi had an eighty million ryo bounty—a bounty as large as the one Iwa had anonymously placed on the Kiiroi Senkō years earlier before being discovered when they took it down following his death.

Mai had an even larger bounty, a whopping hundred million ryo, the largest of any individual in any Bingo Book as far as Naruto knew. That was more than most ninja could hope to make in their entire careers without taking numerous S-rank (or 'suicide-rank') missions.

But what had really caught his eye was the title attached: Reibi no Akurei. What the hell had Mai done to be borderline classified as a _Bijū_? He knew she had massive chakra reserves and was, according to Itachi at least, probably the strongest kunoichi that ever lived, but a freakin' _Bijū_? What the fuck?

Shaking his head, Naruto forcefully pushed it to the back of his mind as the viewing platform came into view, and he rushed up to the rosette waiting for him.

_Wow, she look's really cute in those clothes_, he thought, grinning to himself as he waved.

"Sakura!" he called. She turned her head to face him and gave him a brilliant smile.

"Naruto, you're here," she said, straightening up slightly. "I got here a little early; couldn't wait."

"That's okay, I'm early too," said Naruto, scratching the back of his head.

"Wow… you look really different without the cloak, the weights or the hitai-ate," said Sakura. She smiled. "I have to admit, orange actually looks pretty good on you. Anyone ever tell you you're handsome?"

"A few times," said Naruto jokingly. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, first I thought we'd pay a visit to the dango shop to get a bite to eat, then just sort of walk around the village, maybe visit the park or some of the childhood playgrounds. Not sure what after that, other than hoping to rap this up by getting dinner at a slightly more up-scale restaurant than usual."

"Hmm… Nozomi's," said Naruto.

"For dinner? That sounds good, and they're cheaper there than most other places. All this sound good to you?"

"Yup," said Naruto, flashing her a brilliant smile. He, somewhat jokingly, offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

It was to his surprise when she actually wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Yes," she said softly.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura drew more than a few eyes as they walked through the village. It was a sight that reminded more than a few people of another young couple walking through the village in a similar manner, more than two decades ago.

Among those to take notice of this was Shiranui Genma, who couldn't help but smirk as the two walked past.

_Pink, but the principle's the same_, thought Genma. _The kid's got the same tastes as his father._

Genma was a member of the Hokage's elite bodyguard 'platoon'. He was among those who'd been members during the brief reign of the Yondaime Hokage, and one of the three to whom the **Hiraishin no Jutsu** was taught. As such, it wasn't really a surprise that he was among those to realize Naruto's ancestry.

_Ah well; best that they should be left alone. It's probably one of the last chances to relax they'll get before the main matches._

However, it seemed the two weren't to be left alone. The moment they arrived in the dango shop, they were 'accosted' by the only other customer at the time.

"Naruto-_kun_, Sakura-_chan_!" called Anko cheerfully. The two genin turned to face the tokubetsu jōnin with odd looks in their eyes, wondering what was up with her attitude and the honorifics she'd attached to them.

"Anko-san?" questioned Naruto as the two walked over to her.

"Yo!" said Anko, grinning lightly. "Didn't expect to see you two here. Is this the date I heard you talking about while Sakura-chan tried to kill you?"

Sakura blushed at the reminder while Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, well, yeah, it is," he said. Anko smiled.

"Well then, I guess I should leave you to it," she said. "Bit of a shame, though—I was really hoping to have a chance to talk to you two about the preliminaries, but I guess it can wait."

* * *

It was noon, time to meet up with Kakashi. Taking Naruto's advice, however, Sasuke decided to show up an hour late, figuring there was a chance, however remote, that Naruto could be wrong.

In the meantime, he decided to pay a visit to Hinata.

Sasuke found that he could empathize with Hinata to some extent—he remembered the pressures put on him by the clan before the massacre. To live up to his heritage, to live up to his brother's incredible image, and to make his clan proud. If there was one good thing Sasuke still had to say about his brother, it's that Itachi was among the few to encourage Sasuke to grow up to be himself rather than following in Itachi's footsteps.

Hinata suffered similar pressures within the Hyūga clan, and even had her own version of Itachi to deal with in the form of Neji.

Although the personalities involved were entirely different, both Hinata and Sasuke were overshadowed by others in their families. Neji's patronizing attitude and all-around arrogance rubbed Sasuke the wrong way, reminding him all too clearly of his last encounter with Itachi.

For Sasuke, personally, beating Neji would be more than just defeating a powerful opponent: it would be proof to Sasuke that he could one day grow strong enough to overcome his brother, and in a way, it would be protecting Hinata from some of the suffering Sasuke had experienced.

If nothing else, the Cursed Seal had proven to Sasuke that he didn't want others to suffer from those horrors.

Arriving in Hinata's room, Sasuke was surprised to see her sitting up, staring out at the village.

"Sasuke-san…" Hinata turned her head to face him. "Hi."

"Hi," said Sasuke, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "Should you really be using your Byakugan in your current condition?"

She shook her head a little.

"I wasn't," she said. "But you're the only one who it could've been. Kiba-kun was in earlier with Shikamaru-kun and Chōji-kun. And Naruto-kun and Sakura-san have their date today, so Ino-chan's probably watching them."

"That still leaves Kurenai, someone from your clan, or a doctor or nurse," said Sasuke. Hinata gave a small nod, but said nothing. Sasuke let out a sigh, walking over to her bed. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Better… but I'm still recovering," she said softly. "Are you here to ask about Neji-niisan?"

"Partially," admitted Sasuke. "I was hoping you could tell me about what he can do before I go meet with Kakashi to discuss my training with him. But I really was wondering how you were doing as well."

"You're getting better at caring."

Sasuke said nothing, and the two lapsed into silence.

"Neji-niisan… I'm not sure you can beat him," said Hinata softly. "He's far stronger than any of us had realized."

"Please… tell me what you know. If I don't at least try…" Sasuke trailed off.

"Okay."

* * *

Naruto and Sakura decided that, since this was just the first stop on their date, they could take a few minutes to chat with Anko. She was a little crazy, sure, but nice all around.

"So, before we get to the preliminaries," said Anko, "I was actually wondering if you could explain to me why a trio of genin from Taki went flying out of the forest and were too terrified to go back in."

The two looked at each other, and Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Ah, well, that was probably my fault," he said. "One of my 'trump cards' allows me to… well, let's just say it can make me look frightening enough to give you nightmares _without_ knowing the details."

"Oh, I don't know," said Anko with a grin. "It takes a lot to give _me_ nightmares."

The two thought about what she said before nodding slightly in agreement.

"Fair enough," said Naruto. "I'm probably gonna have to pull out at least two of my trump cards against Gaara in a month, and that particular thing is the first. You'll get to see it then."

"Looking forward to it," said Anko. "And as for you, Sakura-_chan_," there she went exaggerating the honorific again, "that Lee guy is pretty fast and strong. You got any ideas up your sleeve?"

"A few," said Sakura. "But like Naruto, I think I'm gonna keep them secret until the exam itself."

Anko pouted slightly, but didn't press either of them on the matter, instead diving into an animated discussion of their matches. She seemed particularly amused by the many layers of the **Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu**, and the fact that Naruto spent most of his own fight glued to the ceiling—right up until the mud clones pointed him out, in fact, instead creating a wind clone on the ground to fight Temari initially.

After awhile, the three left, Anko bidding the two good luck on their date as she headed off to meet with Kurenai, while Naruto and Sakura headed to the park. Along the way, they passed by the bookstore, where Kakashi was reading one of his smut books.

Kakashi glanced up from his book briefly to watch his students pass by, neither noticing his presence. He thought back to what Jiraiya had told him about the Akatsuki.

That an organization of S-rank criminals might be after Naruto was bad enough. That Itachi and Mai were two members of that organization made it even worse. That they were working together turned the situation from 'worse' to 'just commit suicide and save yourself the trouble'.

Itachi was the one person still alive in the world that could control Mai; as a kunoichi of Konoha, the favored use was to drop her off in the middle of an enemy camp you wanted reduced to cinders and then start running. Pairing her up with Itachi or Uchiha Shisui had been the only way to use her in another manner. Her reputation for rampant, wide-spread and absolute destruction was the reason she'd been nicknamed the Reibi no Akurei.

Despite the suicidal nature of trying to stop those two, Kakashi silently vowed to protect his students to the bitter end.

And speaking of students, he supposed it was probably time to go ahead and meet Sasuke.

* * *

The next stop for Naruto and Sakura was an old playground that, surprisingly enough, was empty when they arrived.

"I remember this place," said Naruto. Sakura nodded slightly, remembering as well.

"This is where we first met, wasn't it?" she said softly.

"Yeah," said Naruto, smiling softly. "I remember thinking you were so cute, but also that you looked really sad."

"And you rushed up to me with your cheerful, ray of sunshine attitude and asked if there was anything you could do," said Sakura. There was a far-off look in her eyes as she recalled all this—she could even see, in her own mind, their younger selves in the empty playground before them.

"And you said there wasn't anything, because I couldn't stop the other girls from teasing you about your forehead."

"And you said you thought my forehead was cute," said Sakura. "I didn't listen at the time; you ran for it when my mom found us, and she told me to stay away from you and I just… let myself forget. I wish I'd listened to you back then."

"Hey, we were just kids," said Naruto lightly.

"We're not that much older than we were back then, you know," she said. "And I know we're technically recognized as adults at graduation, but we're only a few months out of the Academy."

"Yeah, I know… but I guess a drawback of training with so many shadow clones for so long is that you start to feel older than you are," said Naruto lightly, sitting down on one of the swings. Sakura sat in the swing next to him.

"Is that why you've dropped your number of clones so much from what you said you could do?" she asked softly. Naruto nodded.

"Onē-san warned me that it would happen eventually," he said softly. "She used the same training method a lot when she was young, but started using it less and less as she got older. By the time she and onii-san took me in, she'd pretty much stopped entirely; said there came a point where it wasn't worth it."

"I thought you only had the chakra necessary for that because of… well, you know," said Sakura. Naruto nodded slightly. "So was she… like you? Is that how she had the chakra?"

"I don't know," said Naruto honestly. "They were always very secretive about their pasts and had me make odd promises. But we've talked about them enough." He grinned at her. "We're supposed to be on a date about us, not about people you've never even met."

Sakura smiled at that.

"Well, I believe tradition holds that you escort me home when we're done," she said. "So, you'll get to meet my mom. Why don't I tell you about her so that you're prepared?"

* * *

As Sasuke waited for Kakashi in front of the Academy, he thought about what Hinata had told him of Neji's capabilities.

_He's a master of the Jūken, meaning getting close is effectively suicide_, thought Sasuke. _It's even worse if Hinata's right and he really can see the tenketsu; and if she's right about him knowing the Hyūga clan's 'absolute defense' technique, then I don't think I stand a chance._

Not that it was going to stop Sasuke from trying with everything he had. If he couldn't overcome this obstacle, then what chance did he stand of overcoming Itachi even with his comrades at his side?

As Sasuke considered what Hinata had told him of Neji's capabilities and what he knew of the Jūken, Kakashi suddenly appeared.

"Yo!"

"You're late," said Sasuke, almost absent-mindedly. Kakashi was silent for a moment before chuckling.

"Naruto warned you?" he asked. Sasuke nodded, and Kakashi sighed.

"Yes, well, it's time for us to discuss your training," he said. "Now, understand that I'm not gonna be able to dedicate too much of my time to it, so you should talk to Asuma about training you when I can't. Also, as I'm not your teacher, I'm not entirely sure how to go about this. So, I thought we'd lay down what it is you'd like to learn."

Sasuke nodded.

"Rock Lee," he said. "His speed was incredible, but I overheard that he considers Neji to be stronger. I also asked Hinata about what Neji could do, and she believes he can see tenketsu and use the **Hakkeshō Kaiten**."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise.

"The **Kaiten**?" he muttered. "For him? Unbelievable. Hmm…" Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"So, what I need to learn is to use the Sharingan, increase my speed and a way to overcome the **Kaiten**," said Sasuke.

"Yes…" said Kakashi. "Well, I can help you with the Sharingan and I'd say ask Asuma for help with overcoming the **Kaiten**. As for speed training, you should probably work with Asuma on that as well. I'm just as capable as him, but I'm not gonna have as much time to dedicate to your training."

Sasuke nodded.

"There's one other thing," said Kakashi. "I'll talk to Asuma about it. There's a certain technique that can only be performed by those with the Sharingan. I created it fourteen years ago, but wasn't able to use it properly until I gained my Sharingan. I'll speak to Asuma about it, and when he thinks your ready, I'll begin training you in that. However, that's not likely to be until after the current exams."

Again, Sasuke nodded.

"Thank you," he said. It was rather surprising how easily those words seemed to come to him these days.

* * *

After the playground, it was the park. Then it was the training grounds, simply because with all the modifications, it was also a nice place to relax. Finally, at around five o' clock, Naruto and Sakura headed to Nozomi's.

It was at this point that Ino, who'd been trailing them throughout the day, left and headed for the hospital. She'd spied on them most of the day, but she had no intention of intruding in any way on what she, personally, thought was the most important part of their date.

Beside, she'd felt she'd learned a lot about Naruto from all of this, and loved the positive influence he seemed to have on Sakura (even if she would _never_ admit it out loud). But dinner was where she figured he'd start to share more private things, and no amount of desire for gossip could overpower the friendship and respect Ino felt towards the two.

So, instead, she headed for the hospital, intent on going ahead and sharing all that she'd seen with Hinata. She might've joked about Sasuke having a crush on Hinata even though she knew it was simply that Sasuke found Hinata the least irritating of the girls he knew, but she would not claim for a second that Hinata liked anyone but Naruto, and she was sure her teammate would appreciate learning about how the date went.

Hinata struck Ino as the sort of person who would gladly sacrifice her own happiness for the happiness of those she loved.

That wasn't a bad thing, though, as far as Ino was concerned. It was simply who Hinata was.

* * *

Nozomi's wasn't some fancy top of the line restaurant, best described as 'middle-class', but it was a nice place with a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. In other words, perfect for a first date as far as Naruto and Sakura were concerned.

Once they'd placed their orders—tempura donburi for Naruto and sashimi for Sakura—the rosette turned to her date with a smile.

"Well, we've talked about our childhoods here in the village, my mom, what little you'll tell me about your siblings, and about what we think of various things and people around the village," she said lightly. "Now we get to talk about ourselves."

"Oh?" said Naruto with a quirked brow. "What would you like to know?"

"First and foremost," said Sakura, "you were gone for two years, traveling all over the place. How many girls' eyes did you catch?" She had a mischievous grin on her face as she went right for the throat of whatever love life he had that didn't involve her.

"To my knowledge… only one," said Naruto softly. His tone caught Sakura off-guard.

"Oh? Who was she?" asked Sakura slowly.

"No idea," admitted Naruto. "It was a stopover in Taki. She was a genin, but it seemed like no one really liked her, and she would keep telling me that I was better off staying away from her. But I didn't like that, so I was… persistent. She didn't think much of that, but after a few hours, she caved and we hung out for a bit. I got the impression I was the first person she could ever recall showing her any kindness. Unfortunately, something came up, and I had to rush out. I told her my name, but I don't know if she tried to tell me hers. If she did… I didn't hear it."

"I see," said Sakura softly. "Did you… like her at all? Come to think of it, is there any girl you've ever liked besides me? I'd be flattered to think I was your first and only love, but I'd rather not be delusional."

Naruto sighed softly.

"Not the best subject for a first date," he said.

"On the contrary, I think it's best to these things out of the way immediately," said Sakura, "so, please be honest with me Naruto." They fell silent for a moment as their food arrived before continuing. "A healthy relationship is built on trust. I trust that you won't run off, and I want to trust that you're being entirely honest with me."

"I think our… relationship… is founded on trust," agreed Naruto. "You and Shino are the only people I've ever told the truth about that to… and right now, I don't have any plans to change that."

"I think the others would accept you just fine," said Sakura, breaking her chopsticks apart. "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu," echoed Naruto. He smiled at her slightly as they began eating before he paused for a moment. "To be honest, there's only one other girl I've ever been interested in."

"Who?"

"… Ino…"

Sakura froze in shock. On the one hand, she was really glad that he was honest with her. On the other hand, it was a surprise to hear that Naruto had been interested in Ino.

Well, she did ask the question, and she did tell him to be honest.

Sakura's thoughts started to whirl around in her head as she thought back to when Naruto had first returned to the Academy. Specifically, his cloak; a nine-tailed golden fox lying between a nine-tailed pink fox and a nine-tailed platinum fox. He'd still had feelings for Ino when he returned.

"You still like her, don't you?" asked Sakura softly. Naruto's face fell.

"Not something I wanted ruining our first date," he said with a small grimace. "Sakura, I wasn't lying back when I said you were the girl of my dreams. I don't know if my crush on Ino-san was because you were friends, because I thought you were alike, because I thought I didn't stand a chance with you or something else entirely. All I know is that I wasn't lying back in the tower. If there is a single person more important to me than anyone else, then I don't doubt for an instant that it's you."

"You're getting good at flattery, Naruto, but it's not necessary," said Sakura. She smiled at him. "After all, I can't forget for a second that _I'm _the one here with you right now. Not Ino-chan, not Hinata-san or any of the girls I used to argue and fight with. _Me_."

"I'm glad you're not angry."

"I lost a lot because I saw Ino-chan as a rival for Sasuke-kun's affection," said Sakura. "I like to think I've learned from that and that I've grown more mature. That friendship is more important than fighting over a boy, even if I know he happens to be interested in both of us. And the heart is a sometimes fickle, but always hard to understand thing."

"Thanks for understanding," said Naruto with a weak smile.

"No problem—but I'll still kill you if you try to cheat on me," said Sakura, smirking playfully. "At least if you're honest and just break up with me, I'll only slap you or scream at you."

"Chakra-enhanced?" asked Naruto jokingly.

"Of course not," said Sakura. "Anyways, let's not talk about break-ups anymore, or about people we might've wanted to date in the past—it's not like you don't know who I had my eye on for awhile." Naruto chuckled at that. "So to change the subject, tell me more about your travels outside the village."

"Well… it involved explosions," said Naruto. Sakura stared at him oddly and he shrugged. "Clones exploding, explosive tags, and from I heard, onē-san _loved_ to blow stuff up. At first, it was just a lot of walking. Then, onē-san started teaching me **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." He winced. "That was the most painful experience of my life."

"I see… so, a lot of walking?"

"Most of the time was spent on the move," said Naruto with a shrug. "Never stopped in a given village for more than a day, and for the most part, we never went to the same place twice."

"For the most part?"

"There was this village in southeast Hi no Kuni," said Naruto. "It was the one place we seemed to keep coming back to. Onē-san… always had a funny look in her eyes. Like she was looking at something far away…"

* * *

An hour later, the sun had set, and the two genin made their way to the Haruno Residence.

After briefly discussing Naruto's ultimately rather boring travels, they'd started to just chatter idly, not even realizing they'd finished their meals at first. They'd actually blushed in embarrassment at getting so caught up in their conversation that they lost track of the world around them.

"Are you _sure_ your mother isn't gonna give me the cold shoulder?" asked Naruto nervously.

"Of course she isn't," said Sakura, smiling sweetly. "If anything, she's seemed rather fond of you ever since you came home."

"Okay, if you say so…"

"Trust me," said Sakura, opening the door of her house. "Mom, I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Sakura," said Yuko, coming out of the kitchen (why was her mom always in the kitchen when she got home?). "Ah, Naruto-kun."

"Haruno-san," said Naruto, bowing slightly. Yuko giggled slightly.

"Just Yuko will be fine," she said, smiling sweetly. "Sakura's always talking about you, so it feels like I know you better than I should since the last time I saw you was… oh, four years ago? You've really grown since then."

"Thank you for saying so, Yuko-san," said Naruto, straightening up and smiling.

"You're as polite as Sakura says," commented Yuko. "Well, since I'm sure you two have eaten already, why don't you two relax and we can all talk in a bit? I'm sure this'll probably be your last chance for awhile."

"You're right," said Sakura. "Hey, Naruto, come on, I'll show you my room."

"Uh, okay…"

Yuko smiled as her daughter dragged Naruto through the house.

"He really is a sweet boy," she said to herself softly. "Sakura, you chose well."

* * *

"Sorry about the mess," said Sakura as Naruto looked around her room. "I was… a little crazy trying to get ready."

"I can see that," said Naruto lightly, glancing at the pile of clothes on her bed. Sakura blushed slightly. "Still, you were probably better off than I was—I only realized while getting ready that I had a ridiculously limited assortment of clothes."

Sakura giggled slightly at that.

"How many duplicate outfits do you have?" she asked.

"I think enough for every day of the month."

"Wow," said Sakura. "I've only got enough for a week."

"Why do we all have such limited wardrobes?" muttered Naruto. Sakura shrugged.

"You find something that's comfortable and works for you, then you get used to it," she said. "I look at some of my other clothes and find myself wondering how in the world I'd be able to fight the way I do in some of them."

"Well, for the bulky stuff, sure," said Naruto. "But most clothes are easy enough to move in that that isn't an issue." Finally, he shrugged. "Ah, whatever; I like my cloaks."

"What's the story behind those anyway?"

"Nii-san and nē-san wear similar cloaks," he said easily. "Guess it serves as a bit of a reminder of them."

* * *

Team seven would not be seen again for nearly a week. Ino knew this, because she'd been putting quite a bit of effort into finding them.

Well… that's what she was doing when she wasn't helping out at Yamanaka Hana, visiting Hinata, or training to keep her skills sharp. Kurenai, it seemed, was generally busy with either Kiba or Sakura, though she did use some of her spare time to help Ino with her training and to visit Hinata.

Of course, she knew they were busy training—Sakura was going to have to face-off with that taijutsu whack job, and Naruto was against Gaara, probably the most monstrous, murderous person Ino had ever laid eyes on. Shino wouldn't have an easy time of it after his match with Shikamaru either.

Still, she'd been hoping to get Sakura's own opinion on how the date with Naruto went. She'd asked Sakura's mother about talking to the girl, but Yuko had told her that Sakura had hardly been home since the date, which it seemed had gone really well as far as Sakura was concerned.

"Bored!" moaned Ino. "I'm so bored… Chōji's helping Shikamaru and Sasuke-kun train, Kiba's training, Hinata-chan's in the hospital, and Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan are never around…"

Ino sighed.

"I need a hobby… one that doesn't involve shopping so that maybe I can do it on my own…"

* * *

Shadow clones were truly glorious. However, Jiraiya had somehow failed to realize just _how_ glorious they truly were, especially given how clear it was that Naruto would refuse his help unless he helped Sakura and Shino as well.

As the Gama-Sennin worked with Kakashi to help Naruto develop his first original ninjutsu (really, what better way to show off one's capabilities than demonstrating an original technique?), a clone worked with Sakura on a few of Jiraiya's support techniques and helping to prepare her for her match, another one worked with a Kakashi clone to train Shino in taijutsu, and another dozen scattered to peep at onsens and other good peeping spots. Finally, if any of this last group were caught, no harm to Jiraiya himself.

Glorious perfection!

"**Fūton: Hakai Chikyū no Jutsu**!"

_BOOM!_

Jiraiya snapped out of his internal gloating to stare with wide eyes at the destruction.

"One week…" muttered Kakashi. "Not bad at all. Of course, you realize he's basically created a ranged version of the **Rasengan**?"

"Not quite," said Jiraiya, watching Naruto run over to investigate the damage, "but the principle is definitely the same. The **Rasengan** grinds the opponent with chakra. This technique slices the target, punches holes in them _and_ crushes them with concussive force."

"Yes," said Kakashi. "The problem is the collateral. Damage is somewhat better than the **Rasengan** with a quick blow, and more wide-spread, but it can't be used in close quarters, and the **Rasengan** would probably do more damage—and more focused damage—if it could be held into the target for a second longer."

"Yeah," agreed Jiraiya. "Still, the kid's good. Even with the shadow clones, developing a completely original ninjutsu of that power in only a week is pretty impressive."

"Well, now that his original ninjutsu is down, what should we work on?" asked Kakashi. "Observation and spy work has informed us that that Gaara is supposed to have an 'absolute defense' with his sand. I don't know how it will hold up to the new technique."

"Well, to break through it… lightning is better at piercing defenses than wind is," commented Jiraiya. "Do you think we have time for that?"

"Three weeks… probably, but not much else," said Kakashi. "It may be more prudent to teach him seals, especially since he says his trump cards should be able to break through Gaara's defenses. Plus, given that he is a jinchūriki, knowledge of seal work would be invaluable."

"At this early stage?"

"You haven't heard about how much of the Kyūbi's chakra he can unleash, have you?"

Jiraiya stared at Kakashi, then swore lightly, realizing the seal may be weakening.

His concerns, however, vanished in an instant as the knowledge of one of his clones suddenly came back to him and his expression turned lecherous.

_He's even worse than me…_ thought Kakashi with a small shake of his head.

* * *

Sakura dodged the attack thrown by Jiraiya's shadow clone, leaping back to gain some distance, panting heavily.

Reconnaissance had revealed that Lee couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but was a master of taijutsu far above what a genin should be. He also wore weights much like the members of team seven did, and as such was probably quite fast. Furthermore, he'd revealed his **Omote Renge** technique to team seven during his brief spar with Naruto right before the exams. True, he never finished it, but it taught team seven a great deal about Lee.

So, Sakura's training was focused on improving her speed in order to evade the first few blows, thus buying her time to utilize genjutsu and ninjutsu. Her powerful chakra-enhanced strength, which she'd taken no small amount of pride in, was useless against Lee.

She couldn't beat him with taijutsu, and possibly not even with ninjutsu. But genjutsu could be very effective, and Sakura had already begun to devise her plan.

If genjutsu failed, ninjutsu. If ninjutsu failed, then she'd use Lee's own taijutsu against him and would seek to force him to use the Lotus; as long as she avoided being caught in the attack herself, the backlash from using the technique would leave Lee vulnerable to Sakura's counterattack.

"You're getting better Sakura," said Jiraiya. The clone had, thankfully, refrained from any perverted actions, though Sakura suspected she'd kill the real Jiraiya if she knew why. "Still, not good enough—I'm gonna strike faster this time."

Sakura nodded slightly.

"Got it."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Originally, it wasn't supposed to end here, but then I realized that there wasn't anything else to add for this particular chapter.**

**On a sidenote: I always hate contradicting myself in writing. Moving on****…**

**I hope I explained stuff well enough for you all to understand things like Sakura's viewpoint regarding Ino; not to say she wasn't at all jealous, but that wasn't important to what was going on at the time, and would've felt out of place elsewhere.**

**Mai's nickname, which translate to "Demon of Zero-Tails", will be explained later on, at the same time the "Bloodlines" title is explained (in other words, when Itachi and Mai make their return). For now, just think of it as relating to her being the replacement for Kisame (the "Tailed Beast without a Tail"). The nickname is also a bit of a pun, which will likewise be explained later on.**

**For the moment, there isn't much more that needs to be said about this chapter. I think I covered everything pretty well in the chapter itself. Naruto's new technique will be explained****…** oh, when he actually uses it in the exam main matches.

**Please review! Say****ō**nara, min'na!  



	16. The Third Exam

**Sorry about taking so long on this. Part of it is that I've been really, _really_ busy lately. Another part is that I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with this chapter. The third part was figuring out how to get it started.**

**But, it's done at least.  
**

**A few warnings: one, I feel the battles were a little subpar. This is because half the participants are kind of one trick ponies, and we've all seen what everyone can do for the most part. Sure, Lee is insanely powerful, but we already _know_ all of that, and the truth is, he can't do much to change that, at least, not in the one month period available. As such, the only way to draw out certain things would be to go into meaningless description on them. That, and I always felt like a lot of the fights went on for _way_ too long anyways (Lee's fight with Gaara took three episodes; Sakura and Chiyo's fight with Sasori in part two took how long? _Eight_ was it?). The big battles are the last two anyways, so it sort of works out.  
**

**At any rate, the next few chapters will hopefully be more enjoyable. For now, let's get on with it. Oh, and just for visual reference: Sakura's cloak is basically what they were all wearing in the first movie, in the Land of Snow.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters.  
**

* * *

One month. One month the village had gone with hardly anyone sighting a single member of team seven. Where before the pranks had merely been sporadic, during this month they were just completely gone. Absent from Ichirau Ramen's daily routine was a certain blond ramen devouring machine. Gone from the forests were the regular sightings of a bug-obsessed genin. And Yamanaka Hana was without one of its favorite "flowers" to the disappointment of an attractive young kunoichi who was behind the counter regularly.

Even now, with most of the village gathered at a massive stadium, team seven was nowhere to be seen. The other seven participants for the final stage of the Chūnin Selection Exams were all there, standing in the middle of the arena before Kagami Mito, two from Suna, five from Konoha, and three of the later being rookies. Of course, the actual deadline wasn't up, but it did make Ino worry just a little that they weren't here yet, especially since Sakura's match was up first.

Ino herself was sitting in the stands, at the front, along with Hinata and Chōji. She'd spotted Tenten seated several seats to their right, and a few rows above them were Hinata's sister and father, Hanabi and Hiashi. The blonde hadn't spotted any of the senseis yet, and the Hokage and Kazekage hadn't arrived yet either.

"I hope they're not late," murmured Ino. "And they'd better not make a show of it by doing so."

"Their sensei might be rubbing off on them," suggested Chōji. "He _is_ supposed to be chronically late."

"Maybe…"

More people arrived, many of them from outside the village. The Hokage arrived soon enough, though the Kazekage still hadn't shown up. No theatrics surrounding the village leaders; they were placed high above, and you either noticed them or didn't.

"T-there s-seems to be a l-lot of A-ANBU," stuttered Hinata, fidgeting uncertainly as she glanced at one such ANBU.

"It's probably because of that crazy snake that showed up in the forest," said Chōji, leaning back and opening a bag of chips. "The guy had bad news written all over him."

"Chōji, I know you're hungry, but you might save that for when the matches start," said Ino, glancing at her friend with a faint smile. Chōji shrugged.

"I've got plenty more," he said. "Besides, the matches may be awhile."

"M-maybe not," said Hinata. "K-Kazekage-sama is here."

"Work on that stutter, Hinata-chan," said Ino, looking up at the Kage Box. There was indeed a man there wearing Kage robes, though why he wore the veil over his face was beyond her. He was escorted by a pair of big Suna ANBU. "Guess it'll start soon. Now where are…"

At that instant, three figures stepped into the arena. Ino felt her jaw drop in surprise.

It was team seven, no doubting that. The surprise came from what they were wearing. It seemed as though Sakura had picked up her teammates love for heavy clothes, and both Naruto and Shino had 'modified' their wardrobes.

To start, Sakura was wearing a cloak, though Ino couldn't be certain as to just how thick it was, but it covered most of her body, and had a hood, though that was pulled back. The cloak itself was a snow-white color. On the back of the cloak was a kanji, 春 (spring), printed in black. Surrounding the kanji were smaller kanji, 風 (wind), 水 (water) and 土 (earth). Her hitai-ate was worn on her forehead rather than as a hair band, probably done especially for the exams as a mark of her allegiance to Konoha.

Next was Shino; mostly the same, but his coat seemed heavier, covered his body even more, and had a hood that was currently pulled up over his head. The collar was also higher, so his face was nearly impossible to see. The back of his coat had forest written in kanji on it, surrounded by various insect decals.

Last was Naruto, who's cloak had been heavily modified; in fact, it seemed more like a black trenchcoat than a cloak now, worn open in the front and with the collar shortened significantly. On the back was the kanji 信 (trust), surrounded by a golden nine-tailed fox, a white wolf with nine tails and streaks of pink through its fur, and a dragonfly with eight wings and a longer tail than normal. Smaller decals in the same color, but with the normal number of tails or wings were printed across the coat. Ino couldn't see it from where she was, but all the foxes had blue eye, the wolves all had green eyes, and the multi-faceted eyes of the dragonflies were black rather than red.

The outfits were the first thing most people noticed. The next thing people noticed is that Naruto looked a _lot_ like the Yondaime Hokage right now.

_If the girl had red hair, it would be like looking at younger versions of Minato and Kushina_, thought Hiruzen with a soft smile as he gazed down into the arena. Whispers seemed to explode from the crowd as team seven took their positions in the line-up.

"It's about time you three showed up," said Mito. There was an oddly fond smile on her lips as she looked them over. "I was beginning to think I might have to start disqualifying you, and the uproar from that would destroy your careers."

"Kakashi-sensei hasn't rubbed off on us that much, Mito-san," said Naruto, smirking lightly.

"Heh. If you'll all direct your attention to the Kage Box, Hokage-dono is about to give his speech," said Mito, looking up there pointedly. The participants all followed her gaze as the Hokage stood up.

"Well then, I think it's time we began, don't you, Kazekage-dono?" said Hiruzen, glancing at the man in the seat next to his.

"Yes, Hokage-dono," said the Kazekage. He inclined his head towards Hiruzen slightly. "It is your village; by your leave."

Hiruzen smiled thinly as he stepped forward.

"I thank you all for coming here to the Konohagakure Chūnin Selection Exams," he began, his voice booming throughout the suddenly silent stadium, all attention focused on him. "We will now start the main tournament matches between the ten participants who made it through the preliminaries. Please stay and watch until the end."

"I don't think that should be a problem, Hokage-dono," said the Kazekage lightly. "I believe many here, including myself, have come in the hopes of seeing the matches between the prodigies of the Uchiha and Hyūga clan, and especially the match between my son and the prized pupil of Sharingan no Kakashi."

Hiruzen glanced somewhat idly back at the Kazekage. There was something odd in his tone, but he brushed it off.

Down in the arena, Mito turned to face the participants.

"Alright kids, this is the final event one way or another," she said. "Whether you advance or not will be decided here. The arena has changed, but the rules are the same: _I _am the only rule. You will battle until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat, or until I deem the fight to be over, and if I say it is over, then it _is_ over. Since you acknowledged all of this back in the preliminaries, I don't think anything more needs to be said. Now, the first match will be between Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura. You two stay here. The rest of you, proceed to the waiting room up there. There are stairs leading there right over there."

With slight nods of acknowledgement, everyone headed for the stairs except for Lee and Sakura, who turned to face one another.

"Naruto," said Sasuke as the two walked side-by-side, "what do you think Sakura's chances are?"

"Honestly? I think she'll win," said Naruto. "Lee's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. He's a taijutsu specialist to an insane extreme, but he can't perform ninjutsu or genjutsu to save his life. Sakura knows that… and like Shino and I, she doesn't fight fair."

The group arrived at the waiting room overlooking the arena. Panels pulled back from the wall across from the stands, revealing a large display screen. The tournament match-ups and course lines appeared on the screen, showing the names of the participants in kanji.

"First match of the Chūnin Selection Exams, Rock Lee vs. Haruno Sakura, begin!" called Mito.

* * *

"I do not wish to harm you Sakura-chan," said Lee, putting one arm behind his back and extending the other palm upward towards Sakura, "but I cannot afford to fail here!"

"That's fine, Lee-kun," said Sakura calmly, her stance as relaxed as always. "You see, I know for a fact that Naruto and Shino will advance. Therefore, I have to make sure to advance too. I can't afford to be left behind. So, apologies in advance for being a showoff."

"Very well," said Lee. "Let us begin!"

With that, Lee charged forward at breakneck speed. Sakura's response was to tilt back slightly with a faint flip of her head that brought her long hair flying over her shoulder as she quickly ran through six hand seals.

"**Hari Jizō**," murmured Sakura. Instantly, her hair began to turn spiky and lengthen, starting to wrap around her body. The spikes grew, and her hair visibly hardened. Lee's eyes widened in shock as he attempted to halt his forward momentum, but he only slowed himself down. He was forced to press his hand against Sakura's now hard-as-steel hair and push off, but not before more spikes blasted out of the hair and pierced his hand.

"Th-that's…!" gasped Hiruzen. The Kazekage's eyes were wide with shock, as were the eyes of many others.

"But how…?" murmured Gai in disbelief from where he was standing with Kurenai and Asuma. Kakashi chose that instant to appear next to him.

"She's been training hard over the last month," commented Kakashi, drawing their attention. "I'm sorry to say that this will be your second student to be defeated by Sakura."

"That one defense will not be enough to beat Lee," said Gai, turning back to the arena, teeth lightly grit.

"Sakura's not a one-trick pony Gai," said Kakashi. "She'll win. You'll see."

Down in the arena, Sakura and Lee eyed each other. Lee was clearly searching for some kind of hole in her defenses, and not really finding any. Sakura, meanwhile, was trying to guess at Lee's next move.

_He uses training weights like we do_, she thought to herself, remembering the source of the weights she and Shino used, _but probably more extreme than ours, since he's a taijutsu specialist. He'll resort to removing them before resorting to the Lotus, I'm sure of it. Alright, guess it's time to step out._

With that, Sakura began to use one of the most basic Doton ninjutsu in the book.

_Gai-sensei…_ thought Lee, _it seems I will indeed be forced to resort to that which I have been saving for Neji… but first…_

Lee shot forward, preparing to try and pummel through the **Hari Jizō**, but Sakura quickly began to dance about, not actively dodging, but rather turning direct hits into a series of glancing blows, the energy from the blows absorbed by the barrier of steel hair, and in the meantime, the needles covering them scratched up Lee's arms. Realizing that this wasn't working, Lee leapt back to stand by the wall.

"It would seem, Sakura-chan, that I will need to stop holding back," said Lee, kneeling down and removing the weights on his leg warmers, dropping them on the ground with an audible crashing noise and a surprising kick up of dust.

_Whoa… they must be even heavier than I thought. Wish he'd been higher up though; I might've gotten a better idea of what I was dealing with._

Lee decided to show her, shooting forward with even more insane speed.

"Oh," muttered Sakura. There was no way she could turn this into a glancing blow.

Lee's punch hit Sakura dead on… but passed right through her shield and body. Lee's eyes widened in shock, before 'Sakura' suddenly dissolved to water that began to flow over Lee's body.

"**Suirō no Jutsu**!" cried Sakura. The water from the clone, along with additional water suddenly bursting up from underground, encased Lee, forming into a sphere. Sakura's arm was pressed slightly into the sphere, maintaining it. She smiled sweetly at Lee as the crowd gaped in shock.

"So, Lee-kun, will you give up?" she asked.

"Not yet, Sakura-chan," said Lee. "Not yet!"

"_Lee… there will be circumstances under which you may use the lotus techniques when not seeking to protect someone dear to you. Instead, this will be protecting something equally precious: your way of the ninja! To protect that, you may be forced to use the power of the Eight Gates. If this comes to pass, do not hesitate. Do not be afraid."_

_Gai-sensei…_ thought Lee, _I understand…_ And with that, Lee focused himself… and cracked open the First Gate of Opening.

Sakura sensed the sudden build-up of chakra, and realized that Lee had opened the First Gate.

_My skill with this technique isn't enough to hold him like that… time for the next stage!_

Lee exploded from the prison with such suddenness and ferocity that the water and Sakura were all blasted away from him. When Sakura hit the ground, she actually disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing herself to be a shadow clone. This left Lee alone in the arena with Mito, who was easily keeping out of the way of the battle.

Panting slightly, Lee looked around for Sakura, but she was nowhere in sight, and he was forced to close the First Gate before it could cause him any more harm than it already had.

"The Eight Gates," came Sakura's voice from behind him. Lee spun about, readying himself despite feeling worn out, but she was nowhere in sight. "Opening even just one is quite a double-edged sword. I realize I put you on the spot, but I'm surprised you didn't have any other way to escape that." Again, her voice was coming from behind him.

"You're even more powerful than I had realized, Sakura-chan," said Lee, standing up despite his weariness. He hadn't performed very much with the gate open, so it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. Still, he couldn't risk opening the gates again unless he was going to finish this.

"That's questionable," said Sakura, her voice now echoing from all about the arena. "But the important thing is that I've figured out the best ways to fight you already."

At that moment, shadows began to move across the ground independently of objects creating them. Cherry blossoms began to swirl about the arena, and Lee tightened his stance slightly, eyes shifting about as he tried to discern what Sakura would do next, hardly believing that he was forced on the defensive to this extent.

The shadows began to rise from the ground, transforming into more clones of Sakura. Lee's eyes narrowed, wondering what she was up to… and then one of the cherry blossoms brushed against his arm and promptly exploded. It wasn't anything big, but it definitely stung, and Lee barely suppressed a slight wince.

Up in the stands, quite a few were watching with disbelief. Kurenai, however, was smirking lightly.

"That's a pretty impressive genjutsu," she commented, "I don't remember teaching her anything on that scale."

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Naruto was chuckling slightly.

"Heh, see what I mean Sasuke-san?"

"Yeah," said Sasuke dryly, "but does she have a backup plan for when he sees through the genjutsu?"

Naruto smirked in response.

Back down in the arena, Lee was now avoiding the blossoms as well as the attacks of the shadow images of Sakura. Realizing he was in a genjutsu, he'd initially ignored them, only to get cut several times. But whenever he tried to retaliate, his attacks passed right through the shadows. So now he was busy dodging to the best of his abilities, trying not to run into the cherry blossoms that were becoming steadily more numerous, and trying to figure out how Sakura was pulling this off.

Sakura herself was hidden nearby, observing the entire situation and directing her water clones to move inside the shadows for the moment of attack and dodge away if Lee started to counter the shadows being occupied. She also kept switching which shadows were used by the clones. For the cherry blossoms, many were illusory, while only a handful were miniature explosive tags disguised under genjutsu and designed to detonate on contact with anything particularly solid. To keep them afloat, a pair of water clones were moving the tags remotely using chakra strings, ten for each clone, and replacing any that came into contact with Lee.

Mastering chakra strings was insanely difficult, of course; using them, however, was relatively easy when you didn't need any sort of precise movements, and Sakura certainly didn't for this, as the strings mostly were just used to keep the tags floating through the air.

It was a grand and pretty elaborate genjutsu several layers thick; Sakura was rather proud of herself for putting the whole thing together, and grateful to Jiraiya. Without that first technique he taught to team seven, none of this would've been possible.

As it stood, though, Jiraiya _had_ taught her the technique, and she now had full control of her match with Lee because of it.

"Lee-kun," said Sakura, using genjutsu to cause her voice to come from all of the 'shadows' as they mimicked her lip movements, "I have five stages to the plan you're facing now. At the end of each stage, I'm going to give you the chance to surrender before you get hurt any more. We're now at the end of stage one, so this is your chance to surrender before I proceed to stage two. What's it gonna be?"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," said Lee, looking around at the clones, "but as I have said, I cannot afford to fail here!"

"I understand… sorry about this, Lee-kun."

With that, Sakura had her shadow clone throw a series of kunai holding pouches Lee's way, followed by kunai thrown with more force and precisely calculated to cut through the pouches of the first set right around Lee. As the clone did so, Sakura caused dozens more cherry blossoms to start snowing from the sky around Lee. Then, she began to perform hand seals as her water clones moved away.

"**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" said Sakura lowly. At the same time, her clone tossed a kunai with a lit explosive tag at a confused Lee's feet, crying "**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu**!"

A chain of fireballs went flying Lee's way as the explosive tag went off, setting off a chain reaction that lit up all the other explosive tags, surrounding Lee in a huge explosion into which the small fireballs flew, at least a few of them hitting Lee's already battered form.

Lee burst out of the smoke cloud, battered, bruised, burned and patting out a fire on the shoulder of his torn spandex.

"So… that's the technique you used against Tenten-san?" questioned Lee.

"That's right," said Sakura cheerfully, again speaking 'through' the shadows. "I'm not done yet though!"

With that, the water clones began tossing more kunai, with and without pouches, spreading the explosive tags about the entire arena. She saw Mito's eyes widen in disbelief before the proctor flickered away to one of the only clear areas in the arena. Lee was also looking about in shock.

"**Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu**!" came the cries of the many clones as they put into place the final component of the technique.

The entire arena seemed to explode at this point. Sakura panted lightly from her concealment, releasing her various clones but still attempting to hold the genjutsu. However, the genjutsu suddenly fell apart on her as the smoke started swirling and wind began to pick up.

_Oh crap!_

The smoke cleared, allowing a good look at Lee, who was half-crouched as chakra swirled around him, his eyes going steadily wider and beginning to take on a glow her research had told her indicated the opening of multiple gates. Veins bulged on his body and his skin began to shift color.

_How many gates is he opening?_

Lee had, in fact, quickly opened three gates in rapid succession as a counter to Sakura's mass bombing attack.

After only fifteen minutes, the match was already hitting its climax—one way, or another, Lee's use of this technique would end it. Knowing that, Lee didn't hesitate to open the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain.

_Damn, with his chakra like that, I can't use genjutsu! Alright then, looks like it's time for Plan C!_

Lee burst from where he was standing with speed that was well beyond normal human ability. In fact, he easily outpaced the body flicker, and was tearing up the arena in search of Sakura.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" whispered Sakura hurriedly, desperate to finish before Lee found her. The shadow clone popped into existence next to her and immediately seized the log next to the two of them, performing a quick double **Henge** to transform itself into a spider and the log into a Sakura duplicate. The real Sakura, meanwhile, used **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu** to tunnel into the ground.

Lee, spotting the decoy, rushed forward and hit it, sending 'Sakura' flying into the air. He leapt after her, continuing his vicious assault. However, so fast were his attacks that he failed to notice all the pieces of wood flying away from the decoy.

"**URA RENGE**!" roared Lee, launching the final stage of his assault and sending the decoy crashing into the ground. The impact destroyed the shadow clone. Lee landed on the ground, closing the gates, panting heavily as he stared at the crater, eyes widening in shock as he realized that he'd been deceived.

_CRACK!_

Lee cried out loudly in pain as his battered and damaged body was struck from behind with a simple tap on his right thigh, shattering bones. As Lee fell to the ground, not even able to clutch the broken appendage so great was the pain he was in and so weak was his body, Sakura materialized standing behind him, breathing heavily and covered in dirt from her subterranean journey… but ultimately unharmed.

"That disrupted my plans nicely, Lee-kun," panted Sakura, "but I had already made contingencies for your **Ura Renge**. Now, you're exhausted, you're hurt, you can barely move, and I've just broken your right leg. Do you want me to break the other?"

Lee just stared at Sakura in shock. Mito shook her head as she walked forward.

"That's enough," she said. "The match is over." Then, raising her voice, she called out to the stands, "Winner, Haruno Sakura!"

Immediately, the stands erupted in cheers. Lee looked rather saddened by his defeat. Up in the stands, though, Gai was getting chewed out by Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai for teaching Lee such a dangerous technique and Gai was trying to defend himself.

* * *

"Woohoo! You show 'em girl!" shouted Ino, somehow managing to make her voice just barely distinguishable over the torrent of the crowd.

"That Rock Lee is scary," said Chōji. "I'm amazed that Sakura-san took him down, and so easily too!"

"Well she _is_ part of team seven," said Ino. "You don't really think she was carried along by Naruto-kun and Shino-san? Especially after her performance in the preliminaries."

"Lee-kun… c-can't use ninjutsu or g-genjutsu," said Hinata. The two turned to stare at her in shock.

"Wha-? Are you serious?" cried Ino. Hinata nodded slightly.

"I heard about it… when f-father was t-talking to N-Neji-niisan's mother a-about his team…"

* * *

"An interesting match it would seem," remarked the Kazekage, looking at Hiruzen. "But the boy seems to lack certain discipline."

"Perhaps," agreed Hiruzen. "Opening the gates was a foolish move. Even had he won the match, he would not have been able to continue."

"Yes," murmured the Kazekage. "An immediate victory is rarely worth giving up many more victories, hmm? But the girl seems to have done well. It might've been interesting to see more of what she came up with."

"Indeed," said Hiruzen. He watched as Lee was taken from the field by medics, Gai appearing to accompany them. He made a mental note to scold Gai for teaching a mere genin a forbidden technique like that. Sakura, meanwhile, headed for the stairs leading to the waiting room. "Well, I'm sure we'll see plenty more in future matches… her next match should be interesting either way."

"Yes…"

* * *

"Nice," said Naruto as Sakura stepped into the waiting room and Mito announced the short intermission before the next match would begin. "The genjutsu was especially impressive. You gonna have enough juice to keep going?"

Sakura smiled.

"Well, I am a little tired, but I should have plenty of time to recover," she said. "Since I didn't get hurt, it's really not that bad. Still, countering Shino's probably gonna seriously wear me out."

Shino said nothing, staring down at the arena and the carnage Lee had unleashed during the Lotus. Several of the other genin were eyeing Sakura wearily, understandably concerned by her ability to attain victory over a fighter like Lee. Gaara, however, was watching her with calculating eyes, weighing how much of a threat she could be to his own plans against how useful she could prove. For all that she had displayed, though, ultimately she was still more useful than dangerous.

"You got a name for that genjutsu you used?" asked Kiba eagerly. Sakura smiled.

"**Magen: Kage Sakura no Mai**," she said. Naruto barely kept a straight face, amused by the fact that Sakura's name was in there alongside Mai's. Dance of the Shadow Cherry Blossoms, huh? Seemed appropriate. He couldn't wait to see her perfect the whole damn thing.

* * *

In the stands, Yuko sat patting her chest, relieved that her daughter was unharmed.

Even still… this was her first real glimpse of what Sakura could do. Her first close look at the world her daughter had chosen to live in.

It was terrifying.

This was different from just hearing stories. It was unbelievable. This wasn't supposed to be fatal, yet the power that boy had unleashed would've destroyed an ordinary human. Heck, as far as she knew, it would've destroyed most ninja too.

All of this for what, ultimately, was essentially a glorified sparring match? Insane.

And yet, not only was it happening, but Sakura, her little girl, had gone through it… and come out of it completely unharmed. The things she'd seen her daughter do in the arena were as beyond belief as what that Lee kid had done, most especially when she'd broken Lee's leg with apparent ease and without hesitation. To create duplicates of herself, to burrow into the ground, to be able to just _materialize_ like that…

Yuko lifted a hand to her face. Sakura, _her_ little girl, was living in a world like that… and she was only a genin. A rookie, fresh out of the academy.

Looking up towards the visible 'waiting room', Yuko could faintly make out Sakura's pink hair next to a golden blond head draped in a heavy coat.

Sakura had chosen to live in this dangerous world… but at least Yuko knew that her daughter would be looked after. It was strange, but a part of her thought that having Naruto as the vessel for that monstrous demon fox at her side would help keep Sakura safe.

No matter what.

* * *

After the ten minute intermission, during which the display board changed, fading out Lee's name and inputting Sakura's name into the blank space above the two, showing her as the winner of the first match. Shino and a very reluctant Shikamaru had already headed down into the arena and stood facing one another in front of Mito.

"Man, I can't believe I've got to fight you…" muttered Shikamaru.

"You know the consequences if you simply throw the match," said Shino darkly. "It will harm my chances for advancing… and I will be obligated to ensure you are… 'punished'."

"I don't even want to know what sort of punishments you might come up with, so let's just get on with it, okay?" said Shikamaru. Mito looked at the two with obvious amusement.

"Well, if you're done bantering…" Mito raised her hand and her voice to draw the attention of the crowd. "Second Chūnin Exam Match, Aburame Shino vs. Nara Shikamaru, begin!"

Shino immediately leapt back, putting distance between himself and Shikamaru, stretching out his arms and beginning to release one of his kikaichū swarms. Shikamaru quickly backed away towards the walls and the shadows there. He wouldn't be able to get close to Shino, but he had a few other tricks in mind. At the very least, putting on a good show would be less troublesome than what awaited him if he failed to deliver.

So, as the kikaichū swarm approached, Shikamaru knelt down and spread out a pair of scrolls, setting them next to him and rolling them out ahead. Then, he activated the scrolls.

Instantly, a wall of flame sprung up to either side of him, catching just about everyone off-guard. He stuck a third scroll to the wall behind him as the kikaichū swarm fractured slightly, some drawn to the warmth of the flames, most backing away from the danger they represented. Shino continued to eye Shikamaru calmly.

Shikamaru activated the third scroll, and light flashed from it, creating a massive shadow that Shikamaru stretched out towards Shino's own. Surprisingly, Shino didn't even try to dodge, allowing the shadow to connect… and then kikaichū burst out of the ground at Shikamaru's feet.

"I knew fighting him would be troublesome," muttered Shikamaru, snatching a can of bug spray and aiming it at the kikaichū bursting out of the ground. Fortunately, the flames weren't close enough to cause problems like combustion just yet.

That was for later.

And then, as Shikamaru rid himself of the bugs at his feet, the light from the scroll suddenly shut off. Shikamaru sighed, glancing back briefly to see the scroll pierced by kunai and shuriken, looking forward again as his shadow receded.

Other than his imitation of Shikamaru's movements, Shino hadn't budged, and he now returned to his former stance, which was practically as lazy as Shikamaru's own, only… you know, somehow he managed to make it look badass instead of lazy. Maybe Shikamaru could get tips, if only because such a thing would get more people off his back about being lazy.

_He's got shadow clones hiding about the arena_, thought Shikamaru. _He knows both of our strengths and weaknesses. He'll probably try to wear me out, and the big problem is that I'm not really sure what to do about it. Against almost anyone else, it wouldn't be a problem… but against Shino? Yeah, I'm pretty much fucked here._

Still, had to put in an effort.

The flames from the scrolls died down, the timer on his makeshift shield run up. He was still holding the can of bug spray.

_Odds are that isn't even Shino standing there. It's probably a shadow clone or an insect clone. Either way, catching Shino with my technique is gonna be just about impossible. Well, it's not really necessary, since I just have to put out enough that Shino gets to show off. And I suppose if I'm promoted, I won't ever have to do this stupid exam again._

Shikamaru set down the can of bug spray, keeping an eye on the kikaichū swarms moving about the arena. Hmm, he wondered…

After a moment of thinking, Shikamaru drew several kunai and began tossing them Shino's way. Each one had cloth tied to it, and was lighter than a normal kunai. Shino didn't budge, but more kikaichū swarmed out from his coat and charged forward, smashing into the kunai and shredding the cloth. Behind that 'clash', Shikamaru tossed several more kunai straight into the air, these ones with special seals on them.

The kikaichū that had just struck his kunai all swarmed at him. Shikamaru ran up the arena wall, swarm of deadly insects following in his wake and gaining fast. Shikamaru smacked a pre-made seal against the wall, then jumped off of it, narrowly avoided the swarm. He flipped over, landing in a crouch next to his can of bug spray, which he quickly snatched up along with another in his storage pouch and promptly put both to use on the swarm.

Then, light flashed from the seal he'd created. Shikamaru ran towards Shino, and began to stretch out his shadow. Shino shifted to run as Shikamaru smacked down yet another pre-made seal, but with the light being generated, Shikamaru's shadow was bigger than normal, and he managed to connect with Shino's, using the connection to pull the two of them closer so that, when the light-casting seal was destroyed seconds later, Shikamaru would still have his hold on Shino.

"**Kagemane no Jutsu** success," said Shikamaru, beginning to walk in a circle, Shino mimicking him.

"I trust that you have more to use against me then this?" questioned Shino lightly.

"Well… yeah…"

Shino stepped onto the seal paper. A shock immediately ran through his body… and he literally fell apart into a swarm of dead kikaichū.

At that instant, kikaichū burst out of the ground underneath Shikamaru, swarming onto his legs.

"Oh come on…" groaned Shikamaru before quickly performing the body replacement technique… swapping with yet _another_ can of bug spray. A thrown shuriken then popped the can like a balloon, sending the contents bursting over the kikaichū that hadn't been in contact with Shikamaru. Those were being slaughtered with a fourth can of the stuff.

"If Shikamaru had a bit more stamina, they'd be at this all day," muttered Sakura, face buried in her hands. Chuckling, Naruto nodded in agreement.

Back in the arena, the two seemed to be back at square one, with Shikamaru standing in the shadow of the arena wall, while Shino, or at least a clone of him, stepped out into the open.

_He wants to keep this going…_ thought Shikamaru. _Naturally… but I can't help but wonder why… wouldn't it be better to show off in his fight with Sakura-san? Unlike me, she has strength to go with her brains… so something's really off about all of this…_

As he thought it over, Shikamaru felt his eyes go wide.

_OH SHIT!_

What happened next caught everyone but Shino off-guard as Shikamaru smacked an explosive tag on himself and set it off.

"He's lost it!" cried Ino. "Shikamaru!"

The smoke cleared revealing a battered and panting Shikamaru glaring at Shino.

"How many?" questioned Shikamaru.

"Enough," replied Shino lightly. "I'm surprised you caught on. That was a foolish way to go about things."

"Yeah, well, I don't use very powerful explosive tags and those kikaichū you had hanging all over me were even more dangerous for the purposes of this match."

"Shikamaru-san… you just _blew yourself up_."

"That's not all I did," said Shikamaru, standing up with a slight smirk and turning to look at a tree nearby. Walking forward, another Shino emerged from the tree, imitating Shikamaru's movements perfectly, Shikamaru's distorted shadow connected to the one of this new Shino.

"I see you found me," remarked Shino.

"Yeah," muttered Shikamaru. "It only took a quarter hour and numerous explosions to do so."

"When?"

"The second light seal," said Shikamaru, "everything since then has been more a distraction than anything else… except for the explosive. Still, that was one of the tags I designed for killing your kikaichū, so it actually didn't hurt me as much as it looks."

"I see… but again, do you have anything planned for this moment?"

"A few," said Shikamaru, lifting his current can of bug spray and pointing it at Shino… then lifting a lighter. "This stuff is _very_ flammable."

Shino looked… amused, which was odd enough to frighten Shikamaru a little. The clone behind Shikamaru was frozen in place after getting caught by a shadow as it tried to sneak up on him.

"Below," said Shino. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"**Doton: ****Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu**."

And just like that, Shikamaru was suddenly dragged into the ground, burying him to his neck. He could feel kikaichū swarming over him underground and beginning to chew away at his chakra.

"Didn't realize you had something like that in your arsenal," muttered Shikamaru as Mito wandered over. Shikamaru struggled to move, and let out a tired sigh. "Yeah, I got nothing at this point." He looked up at Mito. "Proctor, I forfeit."

Mito nodded.

"Winner, Aburame Shino!"

* * *

"Now that was just anti-climactic," said Naruto.

"There was no need to destroy the entire arena Naruto," said Sakura as Shino and Shikamaru headed for the stairs up after the latter was dug out of the ground.

"True, but it was still anti-climactic, especially after your fight with Lee."

"Ugh…"

"You're lucky you got as much out of it as you did," said Sasuke. "Shikamaru was a lot more pro-active than normal."

"Eh, he knew there would be hell to pay if he didn't put in any effort," said Naruto. "Would've liked to see what he was setting up those kunai-balloon things for, so it's disappointing nothing happened there."

"How many cans of bug spray do you think he was carrying?" asked Kiba.

"Not enough. Not nearly enough."

"Come to think of it, are you ready to fight Kankurō?" asked Sakura, glancing at Kiba. He shrugged slightly.

"Ready or not, I'm all out of time," he said. "From what I know, I think I have a _slight_ advantage, but I'm probably wrong, if only because he saw what I could do and I only heard about what he can do."

Standing opposite the waiting room, Kankurō glanced at Gaara. He'd been let in on Gaara's plan, as had Temari, though she wasn't happy about it. Neither was Kankurō for that matter, who didn't hate Naruto nearly as much as he liked to pretend.

Gaara shook his head ever so slightly, and Kankurō let out a small sigh.

Under the circumstances, that left him only one choice. Briefly, he made a show of inspecting his puppet before leaving the waiting room, passing Shino and Shikamaru as they walked in.

"Shikamaru," said Sasuke, "what was all that with the explosive tag?"

"It was that or get eaten up by kikaichū," said Shikamaru. "I should've just let them go. Would've been less painful."

"Indeed," said Shino. "However, I doubt this is enough for promotion." He walked over to stand next to Naruto and Sakura. "We should endeavor to present more that is worthy of promotion in our match Sakura."

"Yeah, we should," agreed Sakura. "No matter how impressive the showing against Lee-kun, I don't think it's enough."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Naruto. "Lee-san's definitely not getting promoted. From what's gone on so far, you've got a good shot. But for Shino and Shikamaru-san…" Naruto shook his head. "Can't be certain, but I doubt it's enough for promotion."

"What about you?" asked Sakura.

"I'll probably forget about the promotion for my match with Gaara and just focus on taking him out," said Naruto. "He's too dangerous to be showing off against."

* * *

"That Shikamaru… ugh, how lame can you look?" muttered Ino, face buried in her hands.

"It's Shikamaru," said Chōji. "No other way around it. You know how he is."

"I do. It's still ridiculous. Of course, he _was_ up against Shino…"

"Yeah; if being Shikamaru wasn't enough, that'd do it," said Chōji cheerfully. "Oh well. There's still plenty more to come." He held out the bag of potato chips he was holding to the girls. "Want some?"

"Not really, but thanks," said Ino with a small shake of her head.

"I-I'm fine," murmured Hinata. Chōji shrugged.

"Suit yourselves," he said. "Kiba's up next. I wonder how he'll do."

* * *

Unfortunately, this wouldn't come to pass as Kankurō approached Mito and informed her that something had come up and he would be forfeiting his match.

Mito accepted this, allowing Kankurō to leave. Once he was gone, however, she wrote down a short message and summoned a raven.

"Take this to Genma-san, then to Hokage-sama," she said, holding the small scroll out to the bird. "Once you've done that, return to me."

"Understood, Mito-san," said the raven in a surprisingly effective imitation of human speech. He took the scroll and flew off with it, leaving Mito alone with her thoughts.

_He was lying to me_, she thought to herself. _What I don't get is why. He's definitely up to something though… what is important enough that he would want to avoid this fight?_

She shook her head. It didn't matter.

* * *

"Kankurō of Suna has withdrawn from his match with Inuzuka Kiba of Konoha! Therefore, the next match will be Hyūga Neji versus Uchiha Sasuke!"

"WHAT?" cried Kiba in outrage. He wasn't the only one, as quite a few people were shocked by this news, including the Kazekage, Baki and Temari, though Temari suspected she knew what was going on.

_That probably means that Gaara wants Inuzuka to stay in the arena_, she thought. _Kankurō must've realized there was no way to do that without getting hurt himself, so he simply withdrew from the match entirely._

"I cannot believe this!" Kiba spun around as Kankurō walked back into the waiting room and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You! What the hell is wrong with you? I was looking forward to this!"

"I figured there wasn't gonna be much coming of it," said Kankurō with a slight shrug. He tapped the puppet strapped to his back. "I was checking out Karasu and discovered some problems that would render it useless and I don't have time to fix it. Not sure how I missed it before. I'm specialized in puppets, and couldn't have fought you without Karasu in top form. It would've been a quick smash and it's over. Neither of us would look ready for promotion, I'd get beat up, and you'd waste energy. Figured this was the best way all around."

"Grr…"

Kankurō was lying, but they didn't need to know that. Since he'd been looking his puppet over right before heading down, the others all brushed it off for the most part, while Sasuke and Neji both headed down to the arena, as the intermission was almost over.

As Kankurō walked over to stand next to Gaara to watch the next match, one of the most highly anticipated ones in the exams, Naruto focused his attention down in the arena, even as he began thinking of his plans and contingencies for fighting Gaara. No harm in having them, even if he'd probably discard all of them in favor of improvising once the battle actually began.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, I hope that, despite the anti-climaxes going on, you were able to enjoy all of that. Next chapter, Sasuke versus Neji. If I'm lucky, it might even take the entire chapter, because I do intend for this to be a pretty major fight. Probably with some flashbacks for my own amusement.**

**I think my favorite part was probably Sakura's new genjutsu. That was a lot of fun to put together and write out.  
**

**We're nearing the climax of the Chuunin Exam Arc, which now makes up more than half the story. You will soon recieve answers to the questions you have been asking (namely, what is Naruto's summon? Yeah, I'll be pulling that out in a few chapters, so you can look forward to it. ^_^).  
**

**Anyways, off to do more work, do more writing, and do more banging my head into a wall as I work on my RPG Maker game.  
**

**PRESS REVIEW BUTTON NOW! Teehee! ^_^  
**


	17. Defying Destiny

**Sorry this is late; I'd give the usual spiel about the crisis my life has been most of the year, but regular readers have probably already seen it, so let's just move on, ne?**

**It's a bit shorter than the usual fare (I think), but overall, I enjoyed writing it. To be honest, it can be kind of hard to draw these fights out even when they aren't one-sided affairs, which may be why I usually stick to Gundam SEED, where I can write really good battle scenes. Ah well.  
**

******I don't want to spend too long on this, so let me just say one more thing: when Itachi and Mai return, go back and re-read the chapters prior to the exam start. There's something very easily missed, but _very_ important in there. ^_^**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters. I claim ownership only over my particular plot twists for this story and the original characters used within.  
**

* * *

Sasuke faced Neji, his expression cold.

Neji wore an arrogant expression, full of pride and, if Sasuke wasn't mistaken, rage. This was an expression Sasuke himself had worn only months ago. It was strange, really.

Neji was the prodigy of the Hyūga Clan. Sasuke himself was called a prodigy, but he knew he wasn't. He was better than most, but that was only slightly above the norm for the Uchiha Clan. His brother was the real prodigy, and Sasuke only stood out as the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan.

He saw his old arrogance in Neji's bearing… but knowing what Neji had done to Hinata, Sasuke also saw the face of his greatest enemy.

It wouldn't be anytime soon, but one day, Sasuke would confront Itachi and beat him.

Neji wasn't Itachi. But he was enough like Itachi that Sasuke desperately wanted to beat the arrogant little son of a bitch into the ground.

Besides, if he ran away… if he failed here… how could he ever expect to take on that monster?

"There's no fear in your expression," said Neji lightly. "Even without my eyes, anyone can see it. You have absolute faith in your victory." He smirked. "Perhaps there's something to admire in that."

"Whatever," said Sasuke. "Let's just get this over with."

"Indeed."

Glancing between them, Mito let out a small sigh.

_Good luck, Sasuke-kun_, she thought as she raised an arm.

"Fourth match of the Chūnin Selection Exams, Hyūga Neji vs. Uchiha Sasuke, begin!"

Sasuke immediately leapt back, forming hand seals for his favorite ninjutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!"

The fireball leapt from Sasuke's face towards Neji, who simply leapt to the side as Sasuke landed on the ground.

"You are a fool if you believe you can hurt me that way," said Neji lightly. Finally, he activated his Byakugan, assuming the traditional Jūken stance. Sasuke crouched slightly in preparation as he activated his Sharingan.

His eyes couldn't see what Neji's could… but if he could track Neji's movements, then he could better dodge Neji's attacks.

The two stood there, eyeing each other for a moment… and then Neji went on the offensive, charging at Sasuke.

_Fast!_ thought Sasuke as he jumped away while performing the hand seals for another ninjutsu.

"**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**!" cried Sasuke, sending a handful of small fireballs into Neji's path. The Hyūga prodigy simply wove through them with incredible grace. Sasuke resisted the urge to shiver in fear.

How was he supposed to beat an opponent like this?

"Your chance to give up is long passed," said Neji calmly as he continued to close on Sasuke. He entered attack range and lashed out with an open palm strike. Sasuke narrowly avoided contact and lashed out with a sideways kick aimed at Neji's leg, but the Hyūga prodigy simply shifted out of the path of the attack and launched another of his own. Sasuke dodged this one too, placing his hands against the ground and throwing out another kick, this time aimed at Neji's head. His opponent once again slipped out of the way, and Sasuke focused chakra into his hands as he pushed off from the ground, sending himself flying and helping to gain some distance from Neji.

Sasuke landed in a crouch using chakra to help his legs absorb the energy from the impact before he shifted back into a fighting stance with a kunai in one hand and two shuriken in the other, all of them connected by wires.

A month of planning, study and discussion with Kakashi, Asuma and Shikamaru had led Sasuke to the decision to include the wires in his battle plan. He'd used a similar tactic against that nutcase in the Forest, and was certain that, done right, he could make it work here against Neji and the power of the **Kaiten**.

Emphasis on the done_ right_ though. If Neji's eyes were sharp enough, which they just might be after his fight with Hinata, then he may well see through the whole thing.

_This would be a lot easier if I had a solid clone technique…_

He'd considered it, of course—there were plenty of solid body clone techniques, but the only one easy to learn was the Water Clone, generally the weakest and least versatile of them all, not to mention requiring another body of water to actually use.

And he didn't have time for anything more difficult than that. Heck, he didn't even have time for that one really. Too many other things he needed to do before clones would've been at all useful anyways.

Sasuke tossed his weapons at Neji, watching as his opponent idly dodged them. A slight tug on the wire and the shuriken and kunai came flying back around to wrap around Neji.

The Hyūga prodigy, however, spotted the wire, and channeled chakra to cut it. Sasuke grimaced slightly, shifting back to ninjutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!" cried Sasuke, spitting a huge fireball at Neji. His opponent responded by lashing out an open palm at the flames, and in what he could only guess was some burst of chakra, blasted the fireball into non-existence.

_Okay, now he's just showing off._

That was fine, though—Sasuke was testing Neji's limits. He had a plan, but he had to make sure of as many variables as possible so he could adjust the plan accordingly before executing it.

… Okay, so maybe he didn't have much of a plan. Well, beyond the so-called final solution where he just blew up the entire arena, but he figured even team seven would call that excessive… though knowing them, perhaps not… still, didn't really matter.

_Let's examine: he has nigh-perfect three-hundred sixty degree vision, isn't going to be caught off-guard by explosive tags attached to weapons, probably has the Hyūga "absolute defense", can hit the tenketsu, is very fast, very strong, very flexible and is ridiculously capable with the Jūken. How was I going to do this again?_

Neji smirked slightly as he moved onto the offensive once more.

_Oh right. I hope Sakura doesn't kill me._

With that, Sasuke pulled out a few pouches of small explosive tags with loosened strings and tossed them into the air directly overhead. He then proceeded to toss shuriken after shuriken at Neji, who simply dodged. Then, when Neji was just about in his face, Sasuke dropped down low, laid an active explosive tag on the ground, and tried to sweep Neji's feet out from under him.

Neji leapt slightly into the air. That was okay, it was just a distraction. Sasuke pushed off the ground with his hands once again, while the explosive tags from before descended to the ground.

Then, the tag on the ground detonated, setting off a chain reaction that blew up all the others in the air around Neji.

"Hey, chain explosions are _my_ thing!" called Sakura.

"Sorry!" said Sasuke while not feeling particularly sorry at all. He then started tossing kunai with explosive tags to Neji's last known position.

The arena was rocked by the series of explosions. Eyes were wide with surprise all around at Sasuke's method, but eventually, Neji escaped the little trap, battered and bruised, patting out a fire on the sleeve of his shirt.

Sasuke kept his Sharingan on Neji the entire time, while Neji rushed Sasuke once again. This time, Sasuke rushed forward as well, and the two began to exchange blows fast and furious.

Neji tried to deliver open palm thrusts or stab his fingers into Sasuke's tenketsu. However, even without the Sharingan being fully matured, it was strong enough to allow Sasuke to track and anticipate Neji's movements, deflecting all of Neji's attacks aside and allowing Sasuke to try and land a few blows himself, but Neji constantly twisted his body to avoid any heavy blows, while Sasuke was unable to keep Neji from landing a few light blows himself, though nothing in position to cause any real damage.

This exchange of blows lasted for several minutes, each combatant taking it in turns to back away to avoid attacks, letting the other briefly press his own attack. It was, surprisingly, Neji who backed away the most, but that was more an attempt to take advantage of his slightly greater reach than anything.

Eventually, the two broke apart, panting, eyeing and circling one another.

_He's taken more damage than me so far_, thought Sasuke. _But he probably has better endurance. Can't be sure how used he is to taking a beating though. Alright, let's try this next._

Sasuke took a kunai, attached a special sealing tag to it, activated the tag, and threw it Neji's way.

Sealing tags were basically smaller, weaker versions of sealing scrolls. But there were some… interesting applications. The tag Sasuke threw had been modified to release the contents a few seconds after activation instead of immediately.

The contents of the tag exploded out of it, carrying all the momentum the tag itself had possessed, which was quite useful.

After all, Sasuke wasn't even close to strong enough to shove, let alone toss, a small boulder. Sadly, he missed whatever look might've been in Neji's eyes when the kunai coming his way was suddenly replaced by a one ton boulder.

Neji narrowly evaded the massive rock, which rolled on and crashed into an arena wall.

_I hope that doesn't come out of my paycheck…_ thought Sasuke, tossing another kunai at Neji, this one with around a dozen storage tags like the last one. However, in lieu of the boulder from before, Sasuke had simply packed these with as many five to ten pound rocks as he could, and now got to enjoy the sight of them pelting Neji.

"Enough!" shouted Neji, furious now and charging Sasuke head-on. Sasuke pulled another object from a sealing tag at the back of his belt, and activated the new device before lobbing it between him and Neji.

The bomb nearly exploded in the Hyūga's face.

"I thought I had breathtaking anger management issues," said Sasuke dryly. He tossed a kunai with an explosive tag at Neji, but this time, the Hyūga prodigy tossed a kunai of his own to deflect Sasuke's. Then, to Sasuke's surprise, a kunai with an explosive tag was thrown at him by Neji.

_So… he's finally decided to stop relying wholly on the Jūken?_

Sasuke dodged the kunai, swiftly leaping out of range of the explosion. He eyed Neji with the Sharingan, trying to assess how much damage he'd done.

_Still doesn't look like enough_, thought Sasuke. _Oh well. More explosives._

* * *

_BOOM!_

Sakura groaned as she slumped against the railing.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered. "He's trying to mimic me and I'm going to visit upon him a thousand horrors. Then, I'm going to force him to watch as I demonstrate _real_ explosives on the Uchiha Compound. Then, I'm going to make him the first human to reach the moon."

"That seems excessive," said Naruto mildly as more explosions came up from below. Sasuke wasn't holding anything back here, and had clearly given up on ninjutsu. "After all, imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery."

"It might've been, but he's doing it wrong. The smallest and weakest of those tags need to be enough to level a house."

"Um, Sakura, even _yours_ aren't that powerful at that size. You use regular-sized tags for that, remember?"

Sakura grunted in response.

* * *

Tenten was now thinking she might be able to learn a thing or two about equipment storage from these rookies. She'd lost track of how many kunai and shuriken Sasuke had pulled out, and no one seemed able to track the number of explosions.

Oh, hey, that last one looked like the tri-pronged kunai the Yondaime had favored. She wondered where he might've gotten an imitation of that, since she'd never been able to find one herself.

Tenten winced slightly when Neji managed to get close and land a pair of blows against Sasuke before the Uchiha restored the distance between them. Neji looked seriously pissed off at this point.

* * *

"I can't figure out where he's pulling all of that from," said Asuma, rubbing his face. "I haven't seen anything that would indicate a large enough storage scroll for all of this…"

"Clearly, he's spent too much time around team seven," said Kurenai, glancing at Kakashi. The scarecrow merely chuckled lightly.

"No, no, nothing of the sort," said Asuma. "I believe it's _your_ students who have spent too much time around Kakashi's."

* * *

About five minutes later, Mito was sighing and pinching her nose. Unbelievable… just unbelievable. At this point, she figured there would be no profits accrued from this, all the money made being given over to putting things back together after these kids were done destroying everything in sight.

Sasuke and Neji were both down on one knee, panting as they faced each other, covered in a variety of bumps, bruises, scratches and burns. The arena now had only a single lonely little tree sitting on the side, the remains of broken and scorched trees scattered all over, cracks and burns on the walls, craters dotting the ground, and weapons or pieces of weapons littering the arena floor.

The boys pushed themselves back to their feet, shaking off any weariness and standing firm.

Then, Sasuke again went on the attack with thrown weapons guided by wires, but the twist this time was that the many weapons he sent flying through the air and guided to attack Neji from all angles were now laden with explosive tags.

Neji's eyes widened. For just the briefest instant, it seemed like this would become a killing blow for Sasuke.

And then the air around Neji became charged. To Sasuke, with his Sharingan eyes capable of seeing chakra, Neji had become cloaked in blue chakra.

He knew what that meant.

"**Kaiten**!" cried Neji, spinning his body insanely fast like a top. Sasuke's weapons collided with him and were all sent flying away an instant before the explosive tags went off. Eyes widened in shock all over the stadium, and Hyūga Hiashi almost jumped to his feet in shock at his nephew, a branch house member, mastering the Hyūga's secret defensive jutsu.

Trying to salvage something of this, Sasuke rushed forward, hoping to catch Neji as he came out of the whirl.

He did—his fist connected with Neji's shoulder.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, Neji had twisted his body, taking most of the impact out of the blow, and slammed his own open palm into Sasuke's chest, blasting him for all Neji was worth and sending Sasuke flying.

The Uchiha survivor hacked up blood, and a spot on his shirt became even darker, a wet spot clearly showing it being stained by blood.

"Sasuke-kun!" cried Ino, Hinata and Sakura, while many other people cried his name in shock or worry, and many more still gasped in surprise. Mito barely concealed her concern for the boy.

Sasuke coughed, roughly pushing himself to his feet.

"Had enough?" asked Neji smugly. Sasuke glared at him, drawing a kunai.

_Damn… last shot… it all comes down to this…_

"Bring it," said Sasuke, forcing his body to stand straight, holding out the kunai. Neji smirked dangerously as he charged forward.

Sasuke let his arms drop for a second, releasing his grip on the kunai. He swayed, seemingly ready to fall over. Neji wasn't about to take pity because of that, though—in his mind, it seemed as though Sasuke were trying to defy his apparent fate as an Uchiha to die.

So it was that Neji was caught completely off-guard when Sasuke's hands suddenly snapped up, performing a series of hand seals as fast as he could.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" roared Sasuke. As he roared, Sasuke spat a massive stream of fire out in front of him, right in Neji's face. They couldn't see the Hyūga prodigy anymore, his entire body engulfed in the inferno. But they could hear his cries of pain.

The jutsu died down quickly, and when it did, Neji was lying on his back, his arms severely burned, one of his eyes closed with burns visible on his face. A chunk of his clothes were gone, destroyed in the inferno, and wherever his skin was exposed there was at least some burning. Sasuke panted, staring down at Neji and trying to keep on his feet.

"Im-impressive," choked Neji weakly. "It seems… you were fated to win…"

"No," said Sasuke. "I wasn't. I've just refused to give up. You see, four years ago, I learned what destiny was… I got to stare destiny in the face and watch as it decided to let me live so that I could know pain… but… I've learned."

Pushing through the fatigue, pain and injury, Sasuke straightened up, walking over to stand directly over Neji, tall (subjectively) and proud.

"A good friend of mine taught me… that you there is no destiny… that there is only the future you create with your own hands…"

"Her?" questioned Neji.

"No," said Sasuke firmly. "My friend is someone you know; he's the one who taught both me and Hinata that lesson. You've heard of him; his name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I for one believe that he will defy the hatred he suffered in the past… and become a great Hokage. Perhaps the greatest that ever lived."

"Ugh…"

Silence filled the stadium. Everyone had listened intently to Sasuke's words. It represented a marked change in the once-brooding Uchiha survivor who, for years, had been defined by his thirst for revenge.

He had openly declared that he felt Naruto was a great friend, and stated a belief that Naruto would achieve his dream, in defiance of all the hatred and resentment that had been directed at the boy in the past.

"I know your story," said Sasuke. "And I don't want to hear it; it's time for you to get over it, and over yourself. Stop acting all high and mighty; if you really care that much about it, then why don't you try and do something about it instead of whining all the time? If you really think destiny controls everything… then you're pathetic, and don't deserve to be acknowledged for what you're actually worth."

Down in the arena, Mito smiled as she walked over to where Sasuke stood over Neji.

"Winner!" she called loudly. "Uchiha Sasuke!"

The stands erupted in cheers, the loudest to be heard yet. Somehow, impossibly, Sasuke had beaten Neji, who'd been stronger than any of them could've imagined, and spat in Neji's face, giving him a grand little speech about how much he sucked. Even Hinata couldn't help but give a small cheer for Sasuke, worried though she was about both Sasuke and Neji.

"Father?" questioned Hyūga Hanabi, looking at Hiashi, who was frowning and staring into the arena with a sad look in his eyes.

The cheers died almost instantly, though, when Sasuke suddenly collapsed. Mito rushed to his side, while the Konoha nin still up in the waiting room pretty much all leapt down to rush to Sasuke's side. Ino and Chōji both jumped out of their seats and vaulted into the arena as well, Hinata a few feet behind them.

Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan to try and check on the damage. She was (mostly) relieved by what she found.

"It's not too bad," she said. "There's some internal damage, but no internal bleeding." She reached out and ripped open his shirt with Mito's help, exposing the large hole in his chest. "But that…"

"Here," said Sakura, pulling some bandages from one of her pouches. Mito nodded, and started bandaging Sasuke while Sakura and Hinata went over to check on Neji, who had passed out a bit before Sasuke did.

Hinata's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth in shock.

"He's in bad condition," she said. "I… I don't know what to do."

"Will he be okay until the medics get here?"

"Should be…"

Right on cue, two medical teams rushed into the arena, just as Asuma and Gai appeared in the arena.

"How are they?" asked Gai.

"Sasuke-san will be fine," said Hinata. "But Neji-niisan… I don't know." Gai nodded slightly. It was surprising that Neji would be in even worse condition than Lee. The medics quickly moved the two unconscious genin onto stretchers and carted them out of the arena, accompanied by Gai and Asuma.

"Go on Hinata-san," said Naruto, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"B-but… N-Naruto-kun…"

"Go. Sasuke-san might never admit it, but he was fighting partially for you. And Neji-san… he is still your cousin."

Slowly, Hinata nodded before following after the medical crews. Mito sighed.

"You're a good kid, Naruto-kun," she said, looking around at the damage. "You should head back up. I think the intermission might be a little longer than expected."

* * *

The reactions to that last, very surprising match were even more mixed than those before.

One person was privately fuming.

_That foolish boy…_ thought Orochimaru angrily. Sasuke had gone and nearly gotten himself killed; that would've thrown a huge wrench in his plans. He wanted Sasuke's body; he _needed_ the Sharingan! But it wouldn't do him much good if Sasuke died. He wouldn't be satisfied with merely jamming the Sharingan into his skull the way Kakashi had. No, he desired all the power of the Uchiha bloodline. He'd only get so much out of the Sharingan without Sasuke's body to properly maintain it.

_Oh well… Kabuto will collect him for me now…_

* * *

In the stands, Hiashi stood to his feet.

"Father?" questioned Hanabi.

"There is something I must do," said Hiashi. "I am afraid it is not something I can share with you at this time. If you wish to come with me, Hinata will be there as well."

"Onē-chan…"

* * *

Yuko was feeling somewhat numb at this point. These stunts were insane; it seemed even the other ninja in the crowd thought so as well.

She'd cheered, along with everyone else, when Sasuke had been declared the victor. From everything she knew, she was certain he had changed from what he'd been when Sakura was crushing on him. She just wasn't certain how he'd changed, though having friends was among them, of that much she was certain.

And then he'd collapsed; had victory and saying that stuff to the Hyūga meant so much to him that he was willing to risk his life to get it? She didn't know.

Yuko was uncertain what to make of the boy now. Her eyes turned towards the waiting area, and a new thought occurred to her.

Naruto, her daughter's new boyfriend, was going to be fighting next. What would that fight bring? What kind of terrifying new thing was she going to witness?

She almost left. She was afraid now of seeing more into this world her daughter had stepped into.

But she forced herself to stay. She forced herself to watch and know.

Besides, she knew how much it would mean to Sakura for Yuko to have seen all of this.

* * *

Hiruzen let out a sigh, pulling his hat down over his eyes slightly.

Years ago, he'd made a promise to look after Sasuke. And just now, he'd watched as Sasuke was nearly killed in a mere exam.

Motioning to one of his guards, Hiruzen quickly scrawled out a note, and handed it to the guard.

"Take this to Genma," he ordered. The guard nodded and flickered away.

Sasuke would be protected from Orochimaru's machinations, and would receive all the treatment he needed. Hiruzen would make sure of it.

If necessary, he'd even search out Tsunade to make sure Sasuke was alright.

* * *

"It's strange," said Sakura softly.

"Hmm?"

"Sasuke-kun… calling you a friend." Sakura looked at Naruto. "Coming from him… it's a pretty incredible thing."

"I guess so," said Naruto. "But then, he's not as bad as he likes others to think. To be honest, I think a lot of it is just that… well, after losing his family, he probably didn't want to feel that again, so he pushed people away. You can't lose a loved one or friend if you don't have them, right?"

"That's… sad…"

"Yeah, I know," said Naruto. "But… we all have to cope with pain somehow. And it's really not my place to say. That's just a guess to be honest. I don't know if I'm right or wrong; only Sasuke-san can know that for sure."

"Indeed," said Shino. "Naruto, are you ready?"

Naruto felt a smirk form on his face.

"Is the sky blue? Does the river run? Is your body a walking hive? Yes? Well, I guess I'm ready then."

Sakura giggled slightly.

Then, Mito called for Naruto and Gaara. The Suna genin headed for the stairs, while Naruto stepped through the window and started walking down the wall.

The arena had gone silent. It was really quite eerie.

Of course, this was the most highly anticipated match of the exams, so it made some sense. The Suna observers were eager to see the son of their Kage—and their jinchūriki—fight at last. Konoha observers were waiting to see what Naruto, the prized pupil of Hatake Kakashi and a boy who'd surprised them many times over, could actually do.

Naruto stood next to Mito, waiting.

"You know…" said Mito softly—too softly to be heard by anyone but Naruto, even in the stillness of the silent arena, "you remind me of her."

Naruto shifted slightly, glancing at Mito.

"Who?"

"I knew your mother," said Mito softly. Naruto barely strangled the gasp that wanted to escape his throat. "If you'd like, I can tell you about her. We were friends, the two of us and Mikoto—Sasuke's mother."

"Really?" murmured Naruto.

"Yes," said Mito. "When this is over, we can talk about it if you like."

"Maybe… but…" Naruto lifted his head to stare at Gaara as his opponent finally reached the arena. "But not until I'm ready. I'll let you know when that is."

"Okay," said Mito, backing away from Naruto slightly. Gaara came to a stop ten feet away from Naruto, each of the boys exactly five feet from the center of the arena. It had taken nearly twenty minutes, but the mess left behind from the last match had been cleaned up, though the damage ultimately remained for now.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" breathed Gaara. "I've been looking forward to this. Your life… shall be the proof of my existence."

"Proof of your existence?" echoed Naruto. "Hah… let me state something in return: we will do battle. We will clash like young titans. And when all is said and done, your body will lie broken at my feet."

Mito couldn't help but shiver slightly at the deadly tones the two boys used. She stepped back a bit further, raising her arm.

"Fifth Match of the Chūnin Selection Exams, Sabaku no Gaara vs. Uzumaki Naruto: begin!"

* * *

The instant Mito had called the start of the match, she and Naruto had leapt back, while Gaara sent sand surging forth to attack Naruto.

The blond dodged the sand with incredible finesse, but Gaara sent it twisting to continue the attack, splitting the sand into multiple tendrils to try and attack Naruto from multiple directions. It was a little harder now, but Naruto managed to dodge this as well.

"Hmm, the sand's kind of slow," said Naruto lightly. He leapt back, putting himself in a position such that the sand tendrils all reunited into one big sand snake-like thing. "Hey, you ever hear all that stuff about how superheated sand becomes glass? Let's give it a try! **Katon: Karyū Endan**!"

A stream of fire spat forth from Naruto's position, slamming into the sand. It was difficult to make out exactly what happened, but Naruto's attack seemed to have some effect.

Just not, you know, all that much since there was a whole _fuck ton_ of sand.

"Ah, gimme a break," said Naruto, dodging the sand wave. "_Please_ don't tell me you're another one-trick pony. I've been fighting nothing but one-trick ponies since I got home, and it gets pretty damn boring."

Gaara didn't react other than to split the sand and try to attack Naruto from multiple directions again. Naruto continued to evade, and created a pair of shadow clones that went charging in towards Gaara with kunai in hand.

The clones dodged Gaara's sand attacks with the same finesse Naruto had, but when they went to actually launch their attack, sand rushed into place to defend him. They broke off and tried another attack, one striking out with the kunai, the other throwing a pair of shuriken, and stringing a third shuriken into an attack from Gaara's blind spot.

The sand blocked every attack. The clones responded by dropping the weapons and moving to even faster taijutsu, but the sand once again blocked every strike, and Gaara took advantage of it to move the sand around the clones and destroy both.

Gaara still hadn't moved beyond turning his head to track the real Naruto, arms still folded with contempt. For his own part, Naruto had merely continued to evade the sand, observing the attacks by his clones.

"I see," said Naruto. "I wonder how good that shield of yours really is." With that, Naruto started to create more shadow clones. Lots and lots and lots more shadow clones.

In seconds, the entire arena was filled with Narutos, some sticking to the arena walls, some on the ground, all of them with hands full of shuriken. The unbelievable feat of producing that many clones, impossible even with Kage-level chakra reserves, left the entire audience stunned, even those who knew about the Kyūbi.

"Here's a present: **Shihōhappō Shuriken**!" cried the clones, tossing the shuriken all at once full force. Then, to add to it all, they performed a series of hand seals. "**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

Sufficed to say, the entire arena was covered in one big shadow as a literal cloud of shuriken descended on Gaara. The sand moved automatically to defend him, rushing to cover every angle the shuriken were coming from. But the impacts were so heavy and numerous that they quickly started punching through, smashing into Gaara directly, only to be blocked by the armor of sand directly on his skin. Even with that, some impacted with enough force to draw slight winces of pain from Gaara.

And then a pair of Narutos appeared within the main shield with incredible speed and delivered a vicious double-punch to Gaara's chest, sending him flying.

"N-no way," murmured Temari in the stands with Baki. "To be able to get past Gaara's defenses that easily…"

As Gaara pulled himself to his feet, bits of sand fell from the cracked armor on his body, new sand quickly sealing the holes back up.

"So, it's not just a floating shield, but also armor directly on the skin huh?" said Naruto. "You and your sand are kind of slow… but you hit hard and you're hard to damage… a slow-moving but ultimately unstoppable fighter huh…"

"You will die here, Uzumaki Naruto," said Gaara grimly, the sand disappearing while Naruto dismissed his clone army. "It is impossible for you to win."

To everyone's surprise, Naruto… laughed. And not just a quick whoop of laughter, no, he threw his head back and cried out his laughter for everyone to hear.

"Oh… oh that's rich," said Naruto, miming wiping away a tear. "Oh, that was good. You're a real joker. Come on, give me another."

"What are you saying, Uzumaki Naruto?!" growled Gaara, voice rising for the first time.

"What am I saying?" said Naruto, still chuckling. "I'll tell you: we're a lot alike, when you think about it. There are many things the two of us have in common, even if they aren't really apparent at the start. But even though we're so alike… there's also a world of difference between us. You, who lives to kill. Me, who lives to protect. But the biggest difference is in how we reacted to the impossible situations we faced in life. You gave up. Me?"

Naruto smirked.

"You see, for me… 'impossible'… is just another word for 'I'm a whiny little loser who gives up at the first sign of trouble'."

Then, Naruto flickered away, reappearing near the top of the arena wall opposite the stands and to the right of the waiting area. Gaara spun to face him, and all eyes were fixated on Naruto.

"I think…" said Naruto as several clones flickered into existence. He handed his cloak to one to be taken to Sakura. A few squeals of excitement were faintly heard from the stands as some of the girls caught sight of the muscles under his shirt. "I think… that it's time I got serious."

Then, to everyone's shock, Naruto pulled off his shirt, handing it to another clone.

A few squeals and catcalls were heard from the girls in the stands, and quite a few, including Temari, Ino and even Tenten, were blushing furiously.

_Okay, I think I've figured out what Sakura's eye candy was…_ thought Ino.

Naruto, however, ignored the calls from his instant fan club as the clone he'd handed the shirt to pulled out a storage scroll, and the other clones unlatched the weights he was wearing on his wrists and ankles.

Those weights, along with the weight-shirt, were idly tossed towards the arena by the clones. All of them flickered away after Sakura took his cloak, except for the shirt-taking clone, which handed him a new shirt from the storage scroll that Naruto managed to pull on before the weights landed.

The first weight touched the ground, and shook the arena as a huge cloud of dust exploded out from the point of impact. Four more similar impacts took place, and when the dust cleared, five craters were left behind. Silence followed the landing of all five weights, even Kakashi, Sakura, Shino and Tenten all gaping in disbelief. The last clone disappeared as Naruto smiled at Gaara.

Then, Naruto disappeared… and Gaara was suddenly flying fifty feet straight up.

Naruto stood where Gaara had been just a second ago, idly stretching his neck. Gaara shook himself back to his senses and tried to attack with the sand, but Naruto was already gone… suddenly appearing _above_ Gaara. Naruto landed a punch straight to Gaara's gut, too fast for the sand to be able to react, sending Gaara crashing into the ground, feeling like he'd just been struck by a boulder.

"Th-this is insane!" cried Sakura. "I had no idea Naruto was _this_ strong!"

_And I thought Gai was too much…_ thought Kakashi, facepalming as Naruto continually sent Gaara flying about like a pinball.

After only a minute, Naruto stopped, letting Gaara stand back up straight, his sand armor visibly damaged, but still protecting him just fine.

"I gotta say… that's a pretty impressive defense," said Naruto. "It seems like brute force won't break it, and merely smashing jutsu into it won't work either."

"It is impossible for you to win," said Gaara once more. Naruto smirked.

"Oh, I _beg_ to differ," he said lightly. "I have three tricks. Three very special surprises that I was asked not to use until the exams. I made a brief exception back in Nami to save the life of someone who'd been very kind to me. That was, honestly, probably the strongest of my tricks… and the one I have the least control over. So, it will be the last to be used today; if possible, I'd rather not use it at all."

Gaara eyed Naruto impassively as twin masses of sand swelled up, flanking the Ichibi-Jinchūriki. Naruto continued to smirk.

"But… I think it's time I show off trick number one."

The two sand masses suddenly surged forward, transforming into sand claws. In the blink of an eye, Naruto had pulled a sealing scroll from nowhere and unfurled it, activating the scroll to release the object held within.

The blond used the object in question to hit the sand arms… and watched in tremendous satisfaction as the entire arms fell apart instantly. Gaara's eyes went wide with uncomprehending shock, along with those of many others. Silence fell over the arena. Everyone, absolutely _everyone_ except for Sakura and Shino, gaped at what Naruto held in his hands.

Orochimaru nearly shat bricks as the implications of Naruto possessing _that_ item came to him.

"Like her?" asked Naruto with a toothy grin, resting the double-edged sword nearly as long as he was tall against his shoulder lightly enough that he barely felt its weight on his shoulder. "She was a parting gift from my onē-san. You see, even though onē-san made her, she tends to favor fighting with ninjutsu or taijutsu rather than kenjutsu. But this girl here was… 'uniquely' suited to me, so nē-san gave her to me as a parting gift. I'm honestly not that good at kenjutsu just yet, but I imagine I should have some fun."

Gripping the sword in both hands, Naruto gave the Eldhi-Arc a few experimental swings. The sentient blade was as light and easy to handle as ever since she had acknowledged Naruto as her wielder. Not at all like the multi-ton blade when he'd first tried to lift her.

"So then… shall we?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Surprise!**

**To be honest, Naruto was _originally_ supposed to possess Samehada, but after examining just how freakishly powerful Samehada really is, I decided against it. Unfortunately, I'd already set things up for him to have it, so I had to switch things around a little; hence, I put together the Eldhi-Arc. The exact details will be given at the start of the next chapter.  
**

**Moving back, we have Sasuke's fight with Neji. I had a lot of fun, because we see some of Sasuke's character growth, even though he's actually somewhat weaker in a fight than he was in canon (didn't mimic anything from Lee and doesn't know Chidori). Despite that, Sasuke gives Neji a hell of a fight in the fashion that has become typical for this fic: applied explosives. I might as well rename the fic "Naruto: Stuff Blowing Up". By the end of it, Sasuke beats Neji with his current most powerful ninjutsu, and then gives Neji a very nice "Reason you suck speech". I'm gonna have to poke fun at Sasuke for openly declaring that he considers Naruto a friend later, but that's for later.  
**

**Naruto's fight with Gaara was kinda generic; I more or less rehashed bits of Gaara's fight with Lee. Note that, while Naruto is faster than Lee and arguably stronger with much better endurance, each blow from Naruto packs less force than a given blow from Lee. Naruto mostly sent Gaara flying because he was consciously applying chakra in an attempt to break through the armor. Naruto's weights are not as great as Lee's, but they did leave craters (and a bigger impression on the crowd, because Lee just set his weights on the ground).  
**

**Finally, this chapter confirms at least some of Mito's connection to Naruto and Sasuke. Strictly speaking, it's only forbidden to speak of the Nine-Tails and Naruto's father, not Naruto's mother, but up till now those who knew were reluctant to bring it up precisely because it could lead to the other two subjects.  
**

**Enough for now; I hope you all enjoyed! Please review, and I hope to see you soon!  
**

* * *

**Jutsu Translations:  
**Shihōhappō Shuriken – Four Directions Eight Directions Shuriken  
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique  
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet  
Hakkeshō Kaiten – Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven


	18. Invasion

**Behold, the flipside to my usually slow updates: inspiration beating me over the head so damn hard that I churn out an update within the week. I think my record for fastest update was within twenty-four hours.**

**Anyways, I'm glad reaction to the last chapter came out so positive. I hope I garner similar reactions for this chapter, which finally gives you guys that which you've been waiting for: Naruto's summoning contract.  
**

**I shall say no more, for I am sure those words made you promptly run off to read the chapter.  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Eldhi-Arc descended on Gaara. The sand shield attempted to block it, and Eldhi-Arc sliced right through, continuing on towards Gaara who, for the first time Naruto had ever seen, threw himself back to dodge the blade.

Naruto leapt back, regaining the distance between him and Gaara for a moment.

The exact details behind Eldhi-Arc's creation were a mystery to Naruto, but he knew quite well what the sentient sword was capable of.

Eldhi-Arc fed on chakra; it made her a devastating weapon against pretty much anyone and allowed her to effortlessly cut through Gaara's defenses and deflect his attacks.

She could also, for lack of a better term, shift her mass. As Naruto wielded her, Eldhi-Arc was the exact weight he needed her to be, not too light or heavy. But at the instant of impact, the sentient sword could increase her mass in order to boost the damage she could inflict a dozen times over.

And it wasn't just mass; Eldhi-Arc had the power to shift her form (primarily in size), becoming large enough to cut the entire arena in half or barely larger than a tantō. Naruto had no idea where Eldhi-Arc stored the material for that, but would not have put it past the sentient blade to have some internal storage seal space or even simply the power to control its own density.

Finally, the big reason Eldhi-Arc was uniquely suited to Naruto: her bond with him and ability to consume chakra allowed her to keep the Kyūbi from seeping to heavily into Naruto's mind when he pulled out its chakra. This allowed for entirely new "chakra modes" to be created, such as the one in the forest, where Naruto had basically turned himself into a single-tailed were-fox, and also allowed him to retain control with larger amounts of the Kyūbi's chakra in use, though he still peaked at four-tails, as that required too close a bond with the Kyūbi for Eldhi-Arc to keep it out of Naruto's head. On the bright side, Eldhi-Arc did have the ability to forcefully drag Naruto down to lower-levels if the Kyūbi attempted to force itself out.

Naruto smiled faintly at Gaara as the other jinchūriki sent sand surging at Naruto. The blond batted the sand with Eldhi-Arc in a swift one-handed swing and watched as the sand collapsed, the chakra moving it consumed by the sentient blade.

"So… what's all this I hear about impossible?" asked Naruto. "This seems to have become rather… one-sided."

Gaara growled, actually _growled_, and sent tendrils of sand at Naruto, bringing them in from all-directions, and bringing up smaller tendrils from right under Naruto's feet. The blond sighed, then caught everyone off-guard when Eldhi-Arc adjusted to tantō-size in order to swiftly cut through the tendrils at Naruto's feet before the blond swung her in a wide arc, allowing the blade to expand to massive size to cut through every sand-tendril in a single spin before shrinking to the size of a longsword for Naruto.

The blond smirked at the look of genuine shock on Gaara's face. Oh, this was fun. He'd been waiting a long time to be allowed to pull Eldhi-Arc out.

"So, as you can see, she can shift herself to whatever is most useful for a given situation," said Naruto. "And she _adores_ eating chakra." Eldhi-Arc pulsed slightly with a faint glow, and Naruto's smirk grew. "Oh my… it seems she _really_ enjoys the chakra you're feeding her. Of course, I can't begin to imagine how rare it is to be able to feast on chakra capable of controlling sand like that. Anyways, shall we?"

Naruto went on the offensive again, rushing Gaara with incredible speed. His opponent was beginning to panic, lashing out with as much sand from as many directions as he could, but Eldhi-Arc was always there to intercept the attacks, and then Naruto was in Gaara's face and swinging the blade down at his shoulder.

The blade tore right through Gaara, only to have him dissolve into sand. Naruto immediately leapt away from where he was standing, landing on the wall right underneath the window of the waiting area.

"Hey, cool sword Naruto," said Kiba, grinning as he leaned over the railing slightly.

"Thanks," said the blond, throwing his friend a quick smirk before leaping back into the arena to continue the battle.

It had become completely one-sided now. Gaara was fully on the run, and that fact left many of the Suna observers more than a little terrified.

* * *

Orochimaru was suffering a small panic attack, though he was able to keep anyone around him from noticing.

_Mai! That bitch! What the hell has she done?! Why would she… what is the meaning of this?!_

He couldn't begin to guess what sort of game that bitch was playing at, but this left him in a very dangerous position. Mai was always the wild card in any encounter. The woman was irrevocably insane and her mere presence terrified all of Akatsuki; even the Leader had been obviously weary of her. But she was attached to Itachi, her entire existence revolving around him, and none dared to interfere with that after she demonstrated that bizarre Reiton ninjutsu to slaughter Kisame and get him out of the way for her to be Itachi's partner.

Orochimaru had targeted her, just like he'd targeted Itachi. Both possessed the Sharingan eyes that Orochimaru so desperately desired, but both were so far beyond him that it had been a fool's endeavor. He'd nearly been killed both times, and had actually been forced to switch over to a new body by the end of it all, after suffering severe, irreparable damage from both opponents.

That had been over three years ago, so he was able to switch to a new body again. He'd been planning to target Sasuke, but the Eldhi-Arc indicated that at least Mai had taken some active interest in Konoha beyond the presence of the jinchūriki, and suddenly the prospect of destroying the Leaf and possessing Sasuke's body wasn't quite so appealing, and the idea of trying to recruit Naruto seemed a tad suicidal now…

At the same time though, things were too far along to just back off. Orochimaru was committed. He really hoped this didn't bite him in the ass.

* * *

Down in the arena, Gaara had stopped running, and Naruto had stopped pursuing. There was an insane, satisfied glint in Gaara's eyes, and a smirk had formed on his features, panicking many of the Suna observers.

Gaara was glad that Naruto was so strong; his blond counterpart would truly be the ultimate proof of his existence. And Gaara had been planning for some time how he would draw this out to its ultimate, glorious conclusion.

And then, Gaara formed a sphere of sand around himself.

_Looks like its time_, thought Baki. _A bit sooner than expected, but…_

Next to him, Temari shifted; this was the signal. She knew what she had to do now. Her attention turned to two people in front row seats. There had been a third, but she'd left now.

_I'm sorry, Naruto-kun_, thought Temari. _If you survive this, I hope you can forgive me, but… I can't oppose Gaara._

In the waiting area, Kankurō was having similar thoughts.

_Sorry about this. I really did enjoy our time here; you guys aren't as bad as I thought, but… I really don't have a choice._

Back in the arena, Naruto rushed the sphere and swung Eldhi-Arc down on it full force, transforming it back to the broadsword-size.

The blade smashed against the sphere, sunk partway into it… and stopped. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he got a sense of what was wrong from Eldhi-Arc.

The sword couldn't communicate with words (as far as Naruto knew anyways), but she could communicate feelings, impressions, even images. Hence, Naruto realized immediately what the problem was, and tore Eldhi-Arc out of the sphere.

_The sand is extremely thick_, thought Naruto. _Gaara must be nearly crushing himself in there. And there's so much of Shukaku's chakra in there now that he can replenish it faster than Eldhi-Arc can consume it._

The Ichibi's power may not have been a match for the Kyūbi's, but it still had an effectively limitless supply of chakra. Shaking his head, Naruto decided to quietly skip along a bit further, to trick number three.

Well, sort of.

Naruto pulled out some of the Kyūbi's chakra and fed it to Eldhi-Arc, watching in satisfaction as the sword became charged with the chakra of the mighty Yōko. Then, he added his own chakra to it, mixing his chakra, Kyūbi's chakra, and the chakra stolen from the Ichibi, plus one more type that he assumed to be Gaara's. Then, he helped Eldhi-Arc to transform all of it into wind chakra.

The air stirred. Dust began to kick up as Eldhi-Arc _glowed_ with power. Naruto had the blade shrink slightly, turning it into an overlong sword rather than a broadsword. The air around Naruto was now whirling from the intensity of the wind chakra being given off by the sword, and Naruto smirked.

Then, he charged full tilt and rammed Eldhi-Arc through the sphere, the tip piercing back out the other side.

"ARGH!" came a scream of pain from within the sphere. Baki, Temari and Kankurō all went wide-eyed with disbelief.

Orochimaru was unsurprised; he'd seen a taste of what Eldhi-Arc could do, and the only blade he'd known that could match its powers had been Samehada; even his Kusanagi seemed a paltry weapon by comparison.

Naruto slashed the sword to the side, slicing open the sphere, dragging a huge chunk of the sand with the blade. The sphere collapsed, and Gaara was on his knees, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Gaara lifted his hand away, eyes wide as he stared at the blood on his fingers. It was different from anything he'd ever seen before, because this blood… was his own. His astonished and hate-filled eyes turned to look up at Naruto, who was smirking lightly, holding the now normal-sized Eldhi-Arc in one hand, the storm of wind chakra still leaking from the charged blade.

And that was the moment it all went to hell; feathers descended from the sky over the stadium. The civilians all began to fall asleep, but the ninja immediately realized what was going on and swiftly dispelled the simple but powerful genjutsu. Ino and Chōji jumped to their feet, but were suddenly blown into the arena from behind.

"Temari!" gasped Baki as the blonde pursued the two genin she'd just blasted into the arena.

Up in the waiting area, Kankurō laid down an explosive tag before suddenly attacking with Karasu, using the puppet to grab hold of Kiba and Akamaru, while Kankurō himself grabbed Shikamaru, dragging both into the arena before the explosive tag went off and blasted the off-guard Shino and Sakura into the arena as well.

"What the hell?" demanded Naruto, just before another explosion came from the Kage box, briefly diverting his attention. Gaara took advantage of the distraction, leaping back to stand between Kankurō and Temari, still clutching his shoulder before he sent his sand off to do its job, wrapping the disoriented Sakura, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Ino and Chōji in the sand.

"Uzumaki Naruto," growled Gaara, voice thick with hatred. Mito landed next to Naruto, glaring at Gaara. "Follow me. Alone." Here, his eyes shifted briefly to Mito. "We shall end this on my terms, or I will crush all that you hold dear."

As he spoke, Gaara used the sand to forcefully pull everyone's hands away from each other to ensure none of them could use jutsu, and wrapped Shino almost entirely to limit his ability to use his kikaichū.

Gaara had spent a month calculating and planning all of this. He was missing two of his potential targets, but he already had more than enough, and he knew it.

"Damn you," growled Naruto. Gaara said nothing, forming sand underneath his feet to carry him away.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun," said Temari honestly. "But… I can't oppose him."

"Yeah…" murmured Kankurō. The two took off, following after Gaara. Meanwhile, Oto and Suna ninja began to fill the stadium, with Baki suddenly appearing in front of Naruto and Mito. Naruto was so distracted, he didn't even notice the Hokage's situation.

"Go, Naruto-kun," said Mito.

"But…" Naruto wanted to go; he really did. But the situation here…

"Go. Protect your friends. We don't leave each other behind," said Mito, drawing a tantō. "That… is what it means to be a shinobi of the Leaf!"

With that, Mito charged Baki. Growling in frustration, Naruto quickly took stock of the situation before taking off to the top of the arena.

From up here, he saw what the situation really looked like, and his blood ran cold.

A section of the wall had been destroyed by a trio of massive snakes, obviously powerful summons. On the roof where the Kage box had been was a giant purple barrier of some kind. Enemy ninja from Suna and Oto were everywhere.

And in the distance, he could see Gaara fleeing with his friends held captive, leaving an obvious trail for Naruto to follow.

* * *

In the Konoha hospital, Sasuke and Neji had been given a joint room, and both of them would recover. In the room with them were three others, Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi. Hinata and Hanabi were both trembling somewhat, as Hiashi had just finished explaining to Neji the truth behind his father's death.

It had been to Hiashi's own surprise that he hadn't minded the others hearing it; rather, he wanted them to hear it. Wanted Hinata and Hanabi to know the truth, and acknowledge his respect for Sasuke after all that he'd seen.

It was around this point that a group of five Oto ninja burst into the room, followed by someone that Sasuke and Hinata immediately recognized.

"Kabuto-san?" questioned Hinata, standing to her feet. Hanabi backed away, hiding slightly behind her sister.

"I see you're awake," said Kabuto lightly. It was then they noticed he was wearing the hitai-ate of Oto rather than Konoha. "Hiashi-sama, how unexpected. Your family is safe enough for now, I suppose. But we're here to retrieve Sasuke-kun." Kabuto's eyes glinted. "After all, he has something we want, we have something he wants, and with Gaara readying to kill Naruto-kun and all the other rookie genin, it's not like he has anything here to be attached to."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"N-Naruto-kun?" questioned Hinata. Sasuke growled slightly, trying to push himself up but faltering after a moment from the pain in his chest.

"That's right," said Kabuto. "You see, Gaara…"

He never got a chance to finish before the first Oto nin fell dead, followed swiftly by the other four. And suddenly, as he stared into the angry Byakugan of Hyūga Hiashi, Kabuto wasn't feeling quite as confident as he had been about ten seconds ago.

Behind them, Sasuke grit his teeth through the pain, and willed his body to move.

* * *

"It was foolish of you to try this," said Hiruzen calmly after Orochimaru had exposed himself. He ignored the kunai still held to his throat. "You cannot win; even you are no match for the power of the Kyūbi."

"So it's true that Naruto-kun can control it," said Orochimaru. He chuckled. "Are you aware of who has been teaching him in his absence?"

The ANBU squad observing through the barrier perked up unnoticeably.

"Yes," said Hiruzen.

"Then I find it odd that you would trust him," said Orochimaru. "After all, that little bitch Mai is attached to Itachi at the hip."

The ANBU all suppressed their gasps.

"You do not know Naruto as I do, as they do," said Hiruzen. "I am curious as to what gave it away."

"The sword, Eldhi-Arc," said Orochimaru. "I've seen it before. I tried taking it from Mai, much as I tried taking everything else from her and Itachi. But Eldhi-Arc rejected me; it's a picky sort of blade."

"I see," said Hiruzen. "You know who has been teaching Naruto. And still you try this."

"Things were too far along to stop," admitted Orochimaru. His eyes shifted briefly to the ANBU listening in. He wondered if they would be useful in exposing this truth about Naruto.

Hiruzen was also aware of this. He'd make things clear.

"Whatever Itachi and Mai may have done, turning Naruto against Konoha is not one of them," said Hiruzen. "If anything, Naruto's loyalty to Konoha is all the greater for their teachings. I cannot imagine what game they might've been playing at, but perhaps they sought a measure of redemption." Hiruzen carefully kept a smirk off his face. "But I think… that's enough bantering."

And then, Hiruzen went on the attack himself, knocking Orochimaru away and freeing himself from the kunai. Then, he began to employ ninjutsu against his former student.

* * *

Naruto stared at the snakes. He had to stop them, but he had to stop Gaara as well.

That meant there was only one thing to do.

Leaping forward, heading towards the snakes, Naruto placed Eldhi-Arc against his back, mentally commanding her to use chakra to stick to his back for the moment. As Naruto ran towards the snake, he bit his thumb, and smeared blood down his left arm.

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram," murmured Naruto as he performed the hand seals, finishing just as he got to the range he wanted. He slammed his hand down on the roof of a tall building.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" cried Naruto. A summoning seal spread out from where Naruto's hand had hit the surface, and with a massive explosion of chakra smoke, Naruto felt himself lifted into the air.

The cloud drew a lot of attention, including that of the snake trio. What they saw when the cloud dissipated left everyone gaping in shock.

"**Naruto!**" cried the beast. "**It's about damn time. What have you got for me?**"

"Snakes, Isamu," said Naruto, nodding at the trio of snakes that had busted through the wall. "And then I need you to help the village fend off invaders. I need to be somewhere else unfortunately."

"**Somewhere…? What are you saving her for?**"

"The Ichibi."

"**WHAT?! You're leaving me to fight these pathetic excuses for reptiles and **_**Kikyō**_** gets to fight a bijū?! How is that fair?!**"

"Kikyō's my partner Isamu," said Naruto calmly. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get. See ya!"

With that, Naruto leapt off Isamu to pursue Gaara. The beast let out a sigh that nearly blew the snakes over.

Observers were still gaping in shock.

Isamu was nearly as large as you would expect of a summoning boss; he was also stunning to look at, azure scales shimmering in the light, claws laid on top of two large buildings as though using them to support his massive, serpentine body, tail lifted into the air slightly behind him, whiskers and beard swaying in the wind and azure eyes staring down at the snake trio.

The azure dragon snorted slightly, kicking up a wind that sent the snakes flying back over Konoha's wall. Isamu then took to the air to pursue, wanting to get this over with. Killing each snake would take a minute, tops.

* * *

"That's…" murmured one of the ANBU standing outside the barrier around the Hokage and Orochimaru. Unable to enter the barrier anyways, their attention had been diverted to the summoning in the village.

"Yes," said the leader. "An azure dragon of legend; to think that there is someone in this day that possesses a contract with _them_."

"Do you think the stories are true?"

"We'll find out. If they are, then the village is safe."

* * *

Within the barrier, Hiruzen smirked at Orochimaru.

"It would seem your plans have been derailed," he said, motioning to the sight of the completely one-sided battle between summons they could see through the barrier. Orochimaru grit his teeth.

"I had assumed some time ago that I could not destroy Konoha," said Orochimaru, not letting his frustration show. "Naruto-kun has thrown quite a wrench into everything. All of my plans from Sasuke-kun to the village… torn down because of him and that bitch. I had been hoping that he might be an ideal subordinate, but now it seems not. I will simply have to put an end to him personally after I am finished with you. It should prove interesting."

* * *

Baki dodged Mito's attack with a smirk, leaping back in order to attack himself.

"You're a pathetic ninja, aren't you?" said Baki. "Poor offensive ability. Let's see how you handle this." With that, he held up a hand, gathering wind chakra. Mito ran through hand seals for a jutsu of her own. "**Kaze no Yaiba**!"

"**Katon: Yami Jōnetsu**!" cried Mito as she finished on the Dragon seal. Dark, dull-colored fire sprang from her hands, passing through the blade of wind, growing in size and disrupting it as the fire blazed towards Baki, who barely got out of the way.

And then suddenly, Mito was there, stabbing her tantō right through his belly. Baki let out a small cry, partly of pain and partly of surprise.

"Wow, you really suck, losing to a pathetic ninja like me," said Mito idly as she withdrew her tantō and allowed Baki to fall to the ground, feeling like his insides were on fire. Mito then kicked him in the stomach where she'd stabbed him, sending a surge of pain that caused him to black out. She was glad that she'd managed to trick him into underestimating her so easily, or that could've wound up a long, drawn-out fight.

Quickly assessing the situation, Mito rushed to aid Kakashi and Kurenai.

The jōnin were all too busy to notice that, in addition to the rookies, another genin had disappeared from the arena.

* * *

After the attack began, Tenten had been about to try and aid Naruto and Mito against Gaara when she overheard what Gaara said to Naruto. Like Mito, Tenten had decided not to chance it, and instead changed course for the hospital. She'd have gotten there sooner, except that she had also stopped to gape when she got a sight of the magnificent beast Naruto had summoned; she came back to her senses after it sent the snakes flying out of Konoha by snorting at them. She arrived at the hospital in time to see that genin who'd quit the preliminary rounds go flying through the wall of the hospital pursued by what appeared to be a very angry Hyūga Hiashi. She had no idea what was going on, but determined to check up on Neji and Lee.

"Sasuke-san!"

That voice… Hinata?

Tenten reached the room where Neji was in time to see Sasuke rush out. She was amazed he could move like that in his condition. She looked inside to see Hinata there, along with Hanabi and Neji, the latter still lying in his bed heavily bandaged. The entry had five Oto corpses in it.

"What happened?" asked Tenten.

"Sasuke-san heard about Naruto-kun," said Hinata. "He shouldn't be moving, but he still got up and out before I could stop him!"

"Shit!" said Tenten. "That Gaara is threatening to kill all the other rookies if Naruto doesn't come alone! I have to stop him; Hinata, can you look after them?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts!" said Tenten. She shifted her leg slightly. "It's a little sore, but that's why I should be doing it; you can probably protect them better than me."

"Hinata-san knows him better," came a familiar voice behind them. Tenten's eyes widened, and she spun to see Lee standing there. Wait, didn't Sakura break his leg too? Even with a month and the help of medic nins, Tenten hadn't fully recovered. She then noticed that Lee was on crutches, with his leg in a cast. But he looked ready and willing to fight if he had to.

"We will be fine," said Neji. All eyes turned towards him in shock. "Lee, Hanabi-sama, you two stay here. Hiashi-sama is nearby. Tenten, go with Hinata-sama and make sure she's safe. Stop Sasuke."

"Neji-niisan…" murmured Hinata softly. Her eyes soon hardened with determination. "Okay. Stay safe. Hanabi…"

"Onē-chan…"

"Stay with Neji-niisan and Lee-kun," said Hinata. "They won't let anything hurt you."

"… Okay…"

* * *

Temari and Kankurō both felt really bad about what they'd done. It was especially bad for Temari, since she liked Naruto a lot. But in the end, neither could oppose Gaara. That said, Temari wanted to be sure.

"Are you planning to use them as anything but hostages?" she asked Gaara, loud enough for the hostages in question to hear. They'd struggled to escape initially, but Gaara had warned them that if any of them did, he would crush the rest. Since only Chōji could escape without help, and even then with great difficulty, it had left them all unable to do anything but wait for rescue.

And that seriously rubbed them all the wrong way. Well, except Shikamaru, but even he was worried.

"No," said Gaara calmly, still examining his shoulder and the blood on it. After calming down a little, he found himself… fascinated by it. It was _his_ blood, a strange and profound proof of his existence. He had never known true injury before, never seen his own blood, utterly protected by the sand that moved to defend him even against his own will.

"Uzumaki Naruto alone shall suffice," said Gaara. "There must be no distraction; I wish to face his full might with nothing to steal his focus from me. Defeating him there shall be the ultimate proof of existence."

"You're pathetic," said Sakura, drawing their attention. "Naruto's going to tear you apart for this. You can't beat him. He knows what you are, and he's ready for it."

"She's right Gaara," said Temari uncertainly. "Naruto-kun told me; the two of you are the same, but his is much stronger than yours." She carefully danced around actually saying what they were, remembering Naruto's warnings about mentioning it; it was unlikely most of the group knew the truth.

They heard what was said, but mostly wound up brushing it off as an extension of Naruto's warnings of how dangerous Gaara was. The exception was Shikamaru, who was quickly starting to put two-and-two together.

"Then I shall die," said Gaara, his calm surprising everyone. "In victory, I shall find proof of my existence. In defeat, I shall find the worthlessness of myself, and death shall be a welcome release from this twisted existence."

Temari and Kankurō both gaped at Gaara, hardly able to believe he had said that.

Then, Gaara smirked sadistically.

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

* * *

Sasuke had been quick to pick up on the trail. His body screamed in pain, his neck throbbed as the Cursed Seal tried to use this chance to escape, but he silenced both with sheer force of will, the same will he used to make his body move even now.

His friends were in danger; he couldn't be lying around in a hospital while some lunatic tried to kill them. He'd been playing around when his clan was slaughtered, and he wouldn't let any aspect of that event repeat itself.

He had paused, briefly, to take in the sight of the dragon, and wondered who had summoned it and whose side it was on. When he saw it mauling the snakes, he concluded from memory of that bastard in the forest that the dragon was on their side, and chalked it up to another impossible feat from Naruto. Then he took back off in his pursuit.

He'd just reached the edge of Konoha and was about to take off into the forest when Tenten and Hinata caught up with him.

"Sasuke-san!" called Hinata. He paused, glancing back at them as they landed behind him.

"You can't!" said Tenten, clutching her recently-broken leg slightly in pain. "If anyone but Naruto goes, Gaara will kill all of them!"

"But…!"

"Sasuke-san, you couldn't help in your condition anyways," said Hinata. "Even if Gaara wouldn't kill them, you'd just be a burden as you are now!"

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration. Intellectually, he knew they were right. But emotionally…

"Damn it!" shouted Sasuke, punching the ground in frustration. Through all of this, he'd attained his greatest victory possible over Itachi by gaining friends and rebuilding his life… only now, he was powerless to protect those same friends.

* * *

Eventually, Gaara came to a stop, and shifted to binding his captives to trees with the sand, then gave orders to Kankurō and Temari as the group waited for Naruto to arrive.

The blond showed up about two minutes after they stopped.

"Sorry for the delay," said Naruto, straightening up and glaring at Gaara. "I had to drop something off to deal with those annoying snakes."

"An interesting action," said Gaara. Sand was currently covering the mouths of the hostages to keep them quiet, save for Akamaru, who would occasionally bark in irritation. "Uzumaki Naruto, these are my terms. Temari and Kankurō will remain here with your friends and kill them if they try to escape. When our fight begins, the sand will start gradually tightening around them until it crushes them against the trees. We shall move away so that our fight does not endanger them directly. If you defeat me, they shall be released… but you must end my life if you do so."

Naruto growled slightly.

"I wish to see the extent of your strength," said Gaara. "And I… shall show you the extent of mine."

"Fine," growled Naruto. Gaara nodded, and floated away on the sand. Naruto looked at his friends. "Stay safe guys. I'll finish this as quickly as I can."

They gave slight nods. Naruto turned to follow Gaara when Temari spoke up.

"Naruto-kun… I really mean it. I'm sorry about all of this."

Naruto said nothing and didn't look back.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Isamu had made quick work of the three snakes that had returned home with chunks of flesh missing. He was now wreaking havoc on the army that had tried to close in on the hole in the wall, letting the Konoha ninja focus on cleaning up the inside of the village, where Isamu would've caused collateral damage.

It was around this point that a white-haired old pervert showed up.

"So, you're the ones Naruto has a contract with," said Jiraiya.

"**That's right,**" said Isamu. He suddenly spat out a mass of spreading blades and spheres of compressed wind, devastating a section of forest and dicing the unfortunate enemy ninja who weren't able to get out of the way. "**And you are?**"

"Jiraiya, the Gama-Sennin," he said. "One of Naruto's teachers now."

"**I see; could you do me a favor and hold the wall? That little brat is rushing off to fight a jinchūriki and not letting me get involved.**"

"Well, I was actually kind of hoping you could work on breaking through that big purple barrier. The Hokage's in there, and we'd like to lend him a hand."

Isamu looked back at the barrier. The dragon's eyes possessed qualities normally associated with dōjutsu, but that came naturally to his kind. He shook his head slightly.

"**It is doubtful I can break the barrier,**" he said. "**I can attempt to do so, but if I fail, the summoning will likely be broken.**"

"Understood," said Jiraiya, biting his thumb. "I'll hold the wall. Please go; the Hokage means a lot to us all."

"**Very well!**" said Isamu, pushing off and lifting his body into the air. The serpentine dragon twisted through the air, turning to head back towards the center of Konoha.

The ANBU all backed away, not wanting to be there when the dragon struck. The jōnin, who had cleared the enemy from the arena by now, were ordered to move the unconscious civilians away from the tower with the barrier on it.

A minute later, Isamu struck, the barrier crackled, the tower shook and the Earth shuddered as the elite Oto nin maintaining the barrier cried out in pain. Fortunately for them, their cries were nothing next to Isamu's roar, and the dragon struck out one last time for all he was worth before disappearing in an explosion of chakra smoke.

The barrier flickered, but managed to hold. The Oto ninja all panted and sweated, knowing they couldn't maintain the barrier for much longer.

* * *

Naruto and Gaara stood facing one another, both knowing damn well that this would be where it would end. Sand was gathering around Gaara, preparing to initiate his transformation.

"You are like me," said Gaara. "But you can never understand my pain."

"I think I can."

Gaara said nothing as the sand compressed against his body.

"I told you that we're the same," said Naruto. "Except for one major difference."

"You have friends."

"That's right," said Naruto. "You said that killing me will prove your existence. Why is that?"

"Because killing… is the only proof of existence I have ever known." As he spoke, the sand fully engulfed Gaara's upper body, causing his voice to shift towards the end. The sand around him began to take on the rough shape of a tanuki.

"What about your siblings? They care about you."

"I wouldn't know."

"That's sad," said Naruto. He shook his head. "I won't kill you. I will defeat you, but I won't kill you. You deserve a second chance; what you do with that is your decision."

By now, the sand had fully engulfed Gaara, transforming him into an oversized tanuki made of sand.

"Then you will die."

That seemed to be the signal. Gaara shot forward like a bullet, lashing out at Naruto with a claw. Naruto laid Eldhi-Arc flat against his palm and expanded it, turning the sword into a shield that Gaara's claw smashed into. Gaara attempted to wrap his claw around the blade, but Naruto had it expand, cutting through the sand fingers and forcing Gaara to push off and grab hold of another tree as the sand fingers regenerated and Eldhi-Arc returned to regular size.

Rather than close ranges, Naruto tossed a kunai with custom explosive tag at Gaara, noting that no sand moved to automatically defend Gaara now. The tag detonated in Gaara's face, a massive explosion that turned every treetop within twenty feet into splinters.

"Argh!"

Gaara fell to a lower branch, half the sand of his current body blasted away, leaving some of his real body visible. He extended one sand arm and used it to pull himself back, quickly gathering more sand to repair his shell.

Then, he swung one of his arms, throwing a mass of sand at Naruto that immediately converted into a storm of sand shuriken. Placing Eldhi-Arc on his back, Naruto tossed a shuriken of his own.

"**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

One shuriken became many, and each one collided with one of Gaara's sand shuriken. Gaara then sent larger shuriken at Naruto, and several masses of sand surged up from the ground. Naruto responded by infusing a mass of wind chakra into Eldhi-Arc before performing another ninjutsu.

"**Fūton Kage Bunshin**!"

A wind clone formed in an instant, complete with a duplicate of Eldhi-Arc formed through the chakra Naruto had infused into the blade. The two Narutos stood back-to-back, drawing their swords and expanding them in order to fend off the sand attacks. When it was over, the wind clone leapt at Gaara, the duplicate Eldhi-Arc pulled back for a powerful swing. Gaara called up a sand clone and used it to attack the wind clone, but when the clone was struck, it transformed into a compacted sphere of wind chakra that flew straight at Gaara.

The sphere slammed into Gaara's stomach and exploded. Highly focused heavy wind pressure pushed out against Gaara's stomach, as dozens of sharp wind blades sliced into his sand-body, the sheer force of the technique sending Gaara flying back.

"I was hoping to show that off back at the stadium," called Naruto. "It's my own original technique, **Fūton: Hakai Chikyū no Jutsu**. Unfortunately, you kind of derailed those plans."

Naruto leapt down in pursuit.

* * *

Sasuke had decided to ignore the warnings to at least some extent, and continued the pursuit anyway with Hinata and Tenten. He figured, as long as they stayed far enough back, they could at least know what was going on. At the very least, he needed to know what was happening. Hinata's eyes would be very helpful in that area.

Hinata, who was leading them after Sasuke convinced her to go, came up short for a moment.

"Naruto-kun and Gaara have separated from the others," she said. "They're stuck to trees by sand. Temari-san and Kankurō-san are guarding them, and are looking towards the fight. I don't think they can see anything."

"Those two were reluctant to do this," said Tenten. "I think we can probably approach them, as long as we don't do anything."

"Okay," said Sasuke. "Come on, let's go."

The three rushed off as quick as they could, which wasn't really all that fast—they were all nursing various injuries, with Sasuke's only being the most severe and recent; even Hinata hadn't fully recovered from her match with Neji during the preliminaries.

* * *

Eldhi-Arc sliced into Gaara's body, but Naruto was forced to pull the blade free and leap back, before rushing back in and slashing at Gaara's flank instead of shoulder this time.

Once again, he didn't do much damage. Cursing slightly, Naruto rested Eldhi-Arc against his back.

"Sorry girl, looks like you can't do much here until I call up the damn fox," he said. Two clones flickered into existence, all three of them running rapidly through hand seals.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" cried Naruto as the clones cried "**Fūton: Namikaze**!"

A huge stream of fire roared through the forest, turning everything it touched into ash and washing enough heat over the area to ignite trees as it smashed into an off-guard Gaara face-first.

Naruto ended the technique and quickly sent clones off to snuff out the fires he started, primarily by just diving onto them and suffocating them. Naruto winced slightly as the burn memories came to him, but he'd known worse and didn't want a forest fire. He leapt through the burn area, and found Gaara lying against a tree, the front half of his body pretty much turned to glass.

"Oops?"

"RARGH!" came Gaara's roar, right before the glassed sand shattered and an unharmed Gaara smashed full-tilt into Naruto's face.

* * *

When Sasuke, Hinata and Tenten landed nearby, Temari and Kankurō had immediately readied themselves for a fight.

"That's far enough," said Kankurō. "I _really_ don't want to kill anyone right now."

"We figured," said Sasuke. "Had to know what was going on though. Is everyone alright?"

"We're alright!" said Sakura before anyone else could speak up. "But what the hell are you doing here?! You should be in the hospital, you idiot!"

Sasuke blinked.

"I don't think I've ever heard you call me an idiot before," he said. "Besides, it looks like you're the one under threat of being crushed by sand."

"Naruto will win; there's no way for him to lose," said Sakura. "You guys don't know him like Shino and I do."

"Sure, but I don't like being a damsel in distress!" said Ino. "Half the reason I became a kunoichi was because I _didn't_ want to be in this position!"

"Hey, you shouldn't complain! I got stuck in this position too!" said Kiba. Everyone else had a look that suggested they didn't think Ino and Kiba were taking this very seriously.

* * *

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned slightly. "What is that, half a ton of sand? Ow…" He pulled himself to his feet, looking around, wondering where Gaara went. Then, he saw Gaara pinned to the ground some fifty feet below by Eldhi-Arc. "Ah… good girl."

Unfortunately, it looked like Gaara was about to progress his transformation. Naruto held his hand out, and Eldhi-Arc glowed faintly before suddenly shooting up and into Naruto's grip. Gaara pulled himself up, glaring up at Naruto and looking distinctly annoyed.

"Eh, she can get kind of protective," said Naruto. As he spoke, dozens upon dozens of clones flickered into reality. "Shall we?"

And with that, the clones all dove down to attack Gaara. He blocked an attack by the first clone, but it immediately detonated in his face. As the clones descended, they would punch or kick Gaara before promptly detonating.

"ARGH!"

Naruto actually had to cover his ears as he leapt back, a massive explosion of chakra smoke rising from Gaara's position. He felt as his clones were all suddenly destroyed.

Eventually, Naruto came to rest a few hundred feet from his previous position. He looked up…

And towering over him was a massive tanuki, its eyes on him. Naruto swallowed slightly, placing Eldhi-Arc on his back once again.

"Shukaku," he breathed. "Alright then…" Naruto smeared some blood from Gaara's earlier tackle on his arm.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" cried Naruto. Another massive explosion of chakra smoke, and the observers watched in surprise along with Gaara as the giant sand tanuki was joined by a huge azure dragon.

"Alright Gaara, you wanted to see what I could do?!" shouted Naruto. "Then you've got it! Say hello to Kikyō, my summoning partner."

The azure dragon's lips pulled back into a fang-filled smile.

"**Oh, Shukaku,**" said Kikyō, her voice causing the ground to tremble as Gaara backed away slightly. "**I've been looking forward to this.**" Her eyes shifted to catch sight of the blond atop her head. "**Isamu's back home. He's a little pissed, so don't summon him for awhile.**"

"Go figure," muttered Naruto. He shook his head. "Kikyō, avoid that area—my friends are stuck over there and I don't want them hurt." He then turned his attention back to Gaara, and smirked sadistically.

"Now then… shall we?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, yeah, dragons. I'm honestly surprised that _nobody_ seemed to have even considered dragons.**

**Anyways, yeah, Sasuke's pretty full-on determinator at this point, which is a lot of fun to write. I sadly have no idea how to write Hiashi versus Kabuto, so we're gonna have to just imagine that for each of us. We do get to see Mito in action, if only very, _very_ briefly. Overall, the chapter is fairly spread out.  
**

**I enjoyed writing Naruto's fights with Gaara; even though Naruto keeps pulling things out to turn them in his favor, he's really getting seriously challenged for the first time in this fic, something I haven't been able to do up to now, because the only opponent Naruto himself has faced that was truly dangerous to him before now was Haku; and since that was technical pacifist Haku, we really didn't get much out of it.  
**

**There are some special details about the dragon summoning contract that will be revealed later in the story itself. As for the other thing, how did everyone like Eldhi-Arc? I had a lot of fun coming up with what it can do.  
**

**Also, Gaara's characterization here. I realize that it's very different from canon, but that was seriously the point. The core traits are actually still there, but a few things are missing: his fixation on Sasuke, and his private anger/confusion over the fight with Lee. Instead, he's fixated on Naruto, who has a very different attitude/personality from Sasuke, and Gaara recognizes that he and Naruto are basically reflections of one another. Hence him viewing the fight as being them finding out which of them was right in their chosen path.  
**

**Okay, enough of that. Everyone, please leave reviews, I'm always appreciative of knowing my readers opinions.  
**

* * *

******Jutsu Translations:  
**Kuchiyose no Jutsu– Summoning Technique  
Kaze no Yaiba – Blade of Wind  
Katon: Yami Jōnetsu – Fire Release: Dark Passion  
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet  
Fūton Kage Bunshin – Wind Release Shadow Clone  
Fūton: Hakai Chikyū no Jutsu – Wind Release: Destruction Globe Technique  
Fūton: Namikaze – Wind Release: Wind-Wave


	19. The Will of Fire

**And yet _another_ fast update. I mean, this is getting mildly ridiculous, though I'm sure none of you are complaining about it as long as the quality at least remains "something that looks like the one putting it together is a monkey with at least half a brain" or better.**

**Anyways, this finally concludes the Chuunin Exam arc that has eaten half the fic up to this point. I hope that I managed to do a decent job with everything, but if not, it's too late. Le sigh.  
**

**Not too much to say up here; most comments would be spoiler-ish, so let's just move on, ne?  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Kikyō shot towards Gaara with the speed of a bullet, her swift passage leaving a wind wake that shook the trees and would've blasted the unbound observers off the branches; as it was, the weakened Sasuke really did fall off, only to be quickly caught by Hinata, who pulled him back up with some help from Tenten.

Naruto himself held on fine, but then, Kikyō was his partner—he knew how she worked and what she was capable of.

For Gaara, the incredible speed from something that large had caught him completely off-guard, and when Kikyō crashed into him head on, he was sent flying through the air, feeling as if he'd just been struck by a mountain. Kikyō's fangs sunk into the sandy flesh of the Shukaku-form and tore a chunk away from its stomach.

Gaara brought his arms down to try and grip Kikyō by the neck, but the azure dragon whipped her tail around at lightning speed and sliced off one of his hands, then pressed her tail against the ground and used it to spring off into the air and out of the grip of the other hand.

Simultaneously chuckling and growling, Gaara sucked in a breath and then roared out a mass of sand shuriken.

"**As if!**" said Kikyō, breathing in as well, and then roaring out an attack of her own. "**Kaze Shōgai****!**"

A massive blast of wind emerged from Kikyō, spreading over a wide area and curling around in front of her, forming a barrier of wind so intense it was visible even to the naked eye. The shuriken collided with it and were obliterated. Then, when both attacks ended, Kikyō reared her head back and before spitting out a massive sphere of compressed wind chakra.

Gaara leapt back, dodging the blast, but when it hit the ground, the ball seemed to expand, and a massive cloud of dust and smoke was kicked up. The two behemoths paused in their battle as the unbound observers covered their faces for protection from the kick-up and the bound ones were forced to endure.

When the smoke cleared, all that remained of the area Kikyō's attack had impacted was a crater.

"I-incredible," said Tenten. "This battle's on a whole other level."

The others could only nod in agreement.

"Interesting," said Gaara, voice deep and rumbling from his form. He reached his injured claw to the ground and gathered sand to repair it, while also gathering sand to restore the chunk taken out by Kikyō in her first attack. "This is very interesting, Uzumaki Naruto!"

And then Gaara went on the attack, leaping into the air at Kikyō. The twin roars of the behemoths shook the earth as Kikyō charged forward to meet Gaara's attack.

* * *

Hiruzen's battle with Orochimaru had played out in unexpected fashion. Every trick Orochimaru pulled out, Hiruzen would ultimately counter and put himself at the advantage once again.

Except for one trick.

**Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei**, the forbidden technique developed by Senjū Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, as a weapon of last resort with which to counter threats that only his brother Senjū Hashirama could've defeated.

It was meant to be the final weapon with which to defend the village; but Orochimaru had somehow gotten his hands on it, and used it now to try and destroy the village.

Even that, Hiruzen had a counter for, but the counter in question, the powerful kinjutsu **Shiki Fūjin**, would ultimately come at the cost of his life.

He'd been quick to seal away his mentors, painful as it may have been for him, but he was having quite a bit more trouble with Orochimaru himself.

"You were a fool, Orochimaru," said Hiruzen as the two struggled in a battle of wills; the Sandaime held a portion of his student's soul captive with the Shinigami, but his injuries—particularly the Kusanagi pierced through his body from behind—had weakened him enough that dragging the rest out was proving difficult.

"No, Sarutobi-sensei," said Orochimaru. "You are the fool, still clinging to this idealism."

Hiruzen would've chuckled at his student's idiocy if not for the need to maintain focus.

"You really think that Naruto is the only thing stopping you from destroying this village?" said Hiruzen. "I guess I should not be surprised; you never did take to lessons that weren't about increasing your own power. Even I have lost track of how many times you were taught not to underestimate the ninja of Konoha; Naruto's presence has only helped to speed along your defeat. The ninja of this village will not be defeated; the number of ninjutsu and the power of those jutsu are insignificant. The ninja of Konoha will not be defeated, because the Will of Fire burns brightly in us all, and that is something no other village has ever possessed! Through three wars, _we_ have emerged victorious time and again, because we had the will to never give in, to push ourselves to new heights, and to sacrifice ourselves if the need ever came! In our era, being a ninja is not about power, but about those you use that power to protect! And until you understand this, it shall remain ever in your nature to fail!"

"Shut up you old geezer!" shouted Orochimaru. "Just die so I can return to destroying your precious Hidden Leaf!"

"Even if you win against me here, you will fail Orochimaru," said Hiruzen. "Even when laid out plainly before you, you refuse to see the truth. And that is why your nature shall never change and why you cannot understand how you will never succeed in destroying Konoha!"

* * *

Lying in his hospital bed, Neji couldn't help but to smirk in amusement as Hanabi stared at Lee in awe.

At Lee's feet were the unconscious and still-groaning forms of three Oto ninja who might've learned about Hanabi and come for her Byakugan, though they might've just been attacking the hospital for the hell of it, or perhaps they thought Sasuke was still there.

Regardless of the reason, Lee had swiftly disabused them of the notion, hopping about on his good leg with occasional push-off from his crutches, though he primarily used them to beat the ever-living crap out of the Oto nin or to support his weight so he could use his good leg to deliver particularly vicious kicks.

The remaining Oto nin, armed with a kunai, was visibly sweating.

"You shall not bring harm to any of my friends," said Lee, voice deathly serious. "If you take another step, you will be joining your own friends on the ground."

The Oto nin took a fearful step back.

And just like that, Lee shot forward and landed a lightning fast kick in the guy's face, bouncing one crutch off the wall to reorient his body and land on his good leg.

* * *

Kabuto panted, legs threatening to buckle under him as Hyūga Hiashi approached him with deliberate slowness, corpses of Oto and Suna nin piled around him while the clan leader himself remained untouched.

It was a speed Kabuto had never fought before, a skill Kabuto had never seen in any village save from Kage-level ninja. He had thought himself strong, but he was completely outmatched.

"So… this is the power of the Hyūga?" questioned Kabuto.

"Konoha is the strongest of the shinobi villages, and the Hyūga are the strongest of Konoha," said Hiashi calmly. "Challenging Konoha was a fool's errand, and threatening a shinobi of this village in my presence was a grave mistake on your part. Even among the Hyūga, we live by the Will of Fire, and we have learned to never leave others behind. That is what it means to be a ninja of Konoha."

"I see."

Deciding that retreat was the only option, Kabuto used one of his more useful ninjutsu to temporarily raise the bodies of the fallen ninja around him and have a few attack Hiashi, buying himself just enough time to flee with the Body Flicker as Hiashi took out the puppet corpses.

When Kabuto was gone, and realizing he could no longer track the medic nin, Hiashi let out a faint sigh he'd been withholding. The truth was that there were several occasions where Kabuto had nearly gotten Hiashi with what might've been a lethal blow, and had the fight continued for too long, Kabuto might even have been victorious.

Kabuto's strength was why Hiashi had pursued him in the first place; he was too much of a threat to be left alone. But he was injured, which would slow him, and hopefully others could deal with him now.

For Hiashi, it was time to return to his nephew, daughters and Sasuke and ensure they were safe. He was in for quite a surprise when he got back to the hospital.

* * *

At the breach, Jiraiya continued to hold off the invading army with the aid of Gamahiro. The devastation they wrought on the enemy was actually less than that of Isamu, but that dragon had been more or less on par with the power Jiraiya would expect of a summoning boss. He made a mental note to ask Naruto more about them later.

Suddenly, an ANBU appeared on top of Gamahiro next to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama," said the ANBU, bowing slightly. "I thought I should inform you that we are about to begin the counterattack, and a team of ANBU are preparing to try and break the barrier around Hokage-sama."

"Gotcha," said Jiraiya, smirking slightly. "I'll be along in a few minutes. I think we're just about done here."

* * *

Gaara slammed into the ground, pinned down by Kikyō; Naruto's partner was a bit stronger than her twin brother Isamu, and both were pretty much on par with summon bosses, despite being only around mid-level in the azure dragon hierarchy. It was evident that without access to the full breadth of Shukaku's tremendous power, Gaara was outmatched.

But he was still putting up one hell of a fight.

Sand crept from Gaara's sand body to try and wrap around Kikyō. The azure dragon roared in the Shukaku-face, slamming the head into the ground before wrapping her jaws around her opponent's neck and beginning to squeeze. Gaara reached up and grabbed Kikyō's body with his claws, tightening his grip and continuing to wrap sand around her.

Naruto rushed to his partner's nose and quickly ran through several hand seals.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" he cried, once again spitting his favorite fire jutsu in Gaara's face. To his chagrin, there was little effect on the massive beast.

Then, Kikyō suddenly pushed off, breaking away from Gaara's hold and positioned herself over him.

"**Naruto-kun, there's not much more I can do with your friends right over there,**" said Kikyō. Naruto grit his teeth.

"I know," said Naruto, "otherwise this would be a perfect opportunity to use that combo jutsu we always wanted to try out."

As Gaara stared up at them, something unexpected happen, and the real Gaara emerged atop the head of the Shukaku-body.

* * *

_Oh crap!_ thought Temari. "Kankurō, he's…"

"I know," said Kankurō, gritting his teeth slightly. "This is bad; Gaara's really obsessed with this. We need to get out of here."

"But…"

"Oh no," said Sasuke, turning to them, eyes narrowing and Sharingan flashing to life. "You two aren't going anywhere."

"Why should you complain?" demanded Kankurō. "You'll be able to free your friends and run for it yourselves."

"Actually…" said Sakura, drawing everyone's attention, "we don't need you to leave for them to start trying to cut us free. If everyone would please direct their attention to your feet…"

Nervously, Temari and Kankurō looked down, as did everyone else.

At that instant, the twin swarms of kikaichū surged up and swarmed over the bodies of the two Suna nin.

"Sasuke-san, Tenten-san, if you could please ensure they remain subdued," said Shino as his victims collapsed screaming. "I believe Hinata-san will be able to break us free, though that is merely an assumption on my part."

A little caught off-guard like everyone else who wasn't team seven, the three nodded and did as instructed, the kikaichū letting off a little once Sasuke and Tenten were armed and in position, while Hinata went to check Ino first.

"W-when… how…?" questioned Kankurō, panting slightly from the sudden weariness of having his chakra drained like that.

"In small numbers, the kikaichū can be difficult to spot," said Shino. "Once the direct threat represented by Gaara was removed, it was a simple matter to slowly gather them outside of my prison and wait for the appropriate moment to strike."

As he spoke, Hinata successfully freed Ino from the binding.

* * *

Gaara glared up at Naruto, but there was also a hint of satisfaction his eyes, though only Kikyō could see it at this distance.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he called. "Consider this my thanks… for entertaining me!"

He then formed the Ram seal.

"Ah crap," muttered Naruto.

"**Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu**!"

And then Gaara slumped forward. The eyes of the massive sand tanuki became unfocused for a few seconds… and then suddenly sharpened into focus, filling with a yellow-gold color. Shukaku let out a high-pitched laugh.

"**I'm finally out here!**" he cried to the heavens.

"So that's… Shukaku?" muttered Naruto. At that moment, Shukaku took notice of them.

"**Ahaah! Seiryū's kid, Seiryū's kid! I can't believe my luck!**" he said. "**A child of the East Wind! Fighting you will be fun!**"

"Shukaku knows your father?" questioned Naruto.

"**Uncle did say that the bijū's progenitor was known to them,**" said Kikyō. "**I honestly wouldn't know much; I'm barely older than you are. Hey, you stupid raccoon! How the hell do you know my dad?**"

"**Ah, shut up!**" shouted Shukaku, sucking in a breath.

"Oh boy," murmured Naruto.

"**Fūton: Renkūdan****!**" roared Shukaku as he slammed a hand onto his stomach. The bijū spat forth a huge ball of highly compressed air up at Naruto and Kikyō.

"**Fūton: Kazeyari****!**" cried Kikyō, spitting forth a stream of similarly compressed air, though hers was focused like a spear of wind, as implied by the name. The attacks collided, Kikyō's piercing through Shukaku's and going on to smash into his stomach, while the sphere Shukaku blasted at her exploded in a huge gust of wind that knocked all the observers off their feet and toppled the trees closest to it, bowing the rest away.

"**My kind are the masters of the wind,**" said Kikyō. "**You're not bad, but in a battle like that, you can't win.**"

"**You're chakra is nothing compared to mine!**" said Shukaku, sucking in another breath and smashing his stomach again, blasting several smaller sphere these time.

"**Suiton: Teppōdama****!**" cried Kikyō, blasting several spheres of water back at Shukaku, each one colliding with a wind sphere, the attacks blowing each other apart and scattering water and gusts of wind over the area like a heavy rainstorm.

"Hey, wait a second, I didn't know you could use water too!" said Naruto.

"**We may be most heavily associated with wind and wood, but we're still dragons, Naruto-kun,**" said Kikyō. "**Water isn't foreign to us; Sumi-chan's just the only one who's ever been particularly interested. But I didn't think you'd want your friends hurt by the heavy winds.**"

"Appreciated," said Naruto. "Yipe!"

Shukaku blasted more wind spheres at them, and Kikyō returned the favor with spheres of water.

"It's like a storm. This battle…" murmured Sakura as she shielded herself from the water somewhat with a raised arm. "I've never anything like this."

* * *

Back at Konoha, the battle was almost over. The summoned beasts defending the wall had greatly slowed the invading armies and inflicted tremendous damage on them, allowing the Konoha ninja to mop up those that entered before Naruto summoned Isamu and those to break through the main gate. There were still some here and there, but when the ANBU and chūnin arrived to help the jōnin, it became clear that Konoha had emerged victorious.

There was some heavy property damage, but casualties for the defenders were extremely low. However, there were still a number of missing people, which brought Kakashi to where he was now.

"You're sure of that?" questioned Kakashi. Mito nodded.

"Gaara was very clear," she said. "And I don't doubt for an instant that he would've killed the hostages." Around the two, the parents of the hostages in question all clenched their fists in frustration.

"Naruto will win; that much I'm certain of," said Kakashi. "But I don't know what condition everyone might be in."

"Yes," said Shibi. He nodded towards the barrier. "We should focus on what we can do; that barrier must be broken."

However, as he spoke, the barrier flickered slightly, and the ANBU up there launched a simultaneous assault with earth, fire and water jutsu.

* * *

"**Naruto-kun, we have to attack the host,**" said Kikyō. "**The tanuki's right; I don't have as much chakra as he does, and I'm more susceptible to damage. He can keep this going far longer than I can.**"

"Alright," said Naruto. He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he kneeled down, placing his hands on Kikyō and sticking to her with everything he had to spare. "I'm ready."

Kikyō didn't see anything, merely sucking in a breath and letting lose with another wind attack at Shukaku. The tanuki dodged back.

"**Like I'll get hit by that!**" he said. But then, Kikyō shot down at incredible speed, slamming into the ground in front of Shukaku hard enough to send tremors practically back to Konoha. Kikyō clamped her jaws in Shukaku's shoulder and sunk her claws into his arms. "**Why you…!**"

Naruto shot off of Kikyō, flying straight at Gaara. He slammed his fist full force into Gaara's face, using all the strength he could muster alongside his incredible momentum. At the same instant, Shukaku let off a massive blast of chakra from his mouth straight into Kikyō, causing the azure dragon to release him as she roared in pain.

"**Wha…?! NO!**" screamed Shukaku as the color faded from his eyes. "**B-but I just got ouuuut!**"

Gaara's eyes opened as Naruto landed nearby on Shukaku. Kikyō fell back away from them, blood dripping from a few points on her body, a large section of her scales broken off or blackened, visible burns on her body including several severe but cauterized wounds.

Naruto panted slightly; all the activity so far had managed to wear even his massive reserves down to comparatively nothing.

Focusing his remaining chakra, Naruto shot at the still disoriented Gaara and delivered another punch straight to his face. He reared back for another, but sand grabbed his arms and legs.

"I… won't… LOSE!" shouted Naruto. His head shot forward, hitai-ate slamming heavily into Gaara's exposed forehead.

And like that, everything seemed to freeze. Cracks began to form in the previously solid body of sand.

Finally, Shukaku fell apart.

"**Good work… Naruto-kun…**" said Kikyō before disappearing in an explosion of chakra smoke.

* * *

"I can't believe it," murmured Temari, leaning back against the tree, her fan held by Tenten along with Kankurō's puppet, the kikaichū buzzing around her and her brother waiting for them to make a wrong move, and all of the rookie genin armed to the teeth with kunai, shuriken and yet _more_ explosive tags.

"He beat Gaara," said Kankurō, voice thick with disbelief.

"Yeah," said Sakura. She smiled. "I always knew that Naruto wouldn't be beaten in these exams. Come on everyone; let's go see how they are."

* * *

Hiruzen could feel himself slipping away; he couldn't go on, and he knew it.

"It looks… like I do not have the power to drag out all of your soul," he said. Orochimaru remained silent; he'd refused to say anything since Hiruzen's proclamation that he would never succeed in destroying Konoha. "However, your ambition ends here!"

"It's not over yet!" shouted Orochimaru, finally speaking up again. "My ambition will never end!"

"Few things are endless my idiot apprentice," said Hiruzen. "Your ambition is not among them. If I cannot end your life, then I will still punish you for your actions and your ambition by taking away that which you hold most dear: all of your jutsu!"

"What did you say?!"

Hiruzen growled out slightly as he used everything he had left to give one final, powerful tug on Orochimaru's soul.

"No!" screamed Orochimaru. "You can't! STOP!"

The knife of the Shinigami descended, severing the pieces of Orochimaru's soul that Hiruzen had dragged from his body—his arms.

"Seal!" shouted Hiruzen. With a flash of chakra-generated light, the technique was completed. Orochimaru's arms began to darken immediately as they began to rot from the inside out the instant Hiruzen completed the technique.

"My… hands…"

"Now you are unable to use your arms," said Hiruzen. "Without your arms you cannot perform seals. And without seals, you cannot perform jutsu. Your ambition is lost forever… a fitting punishment."

"You damn geezer! Give them back! Give me back my arms!"

Hiruzen just smiled, seeing for the briefest instant the young boy he'd taken as his apprentice, before ambition and fear twisted him beyond recognition.

The Oto ninja all let out cries of pain as the barrier they'd formed flickered after another attack, now mere seconds from collapsing. Having seen what happened, they all knew well enough what needed to be done.

They released the barrier, conserving what they could of their chakra, and rushed to Orochimaru's side. Sakon and Jirōbō grabbed their disabled leader even as he continued to scream incoherently at the Hokage, and dragged him away with Tayuya and Kidōmaru acting as escorts.

_When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village… and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew._

The Oto ninja fled, pursued by the ANBU trio. However, Kidōmaru interfered, using his Cursed Seal to gain the power necessary in his weakened state.

* * *

Gaara hit the ground. Hard, possibly breaking a few bones. If he did, he was too exhausted to notice the pain.

Naruto landed next to him, a little wobbly, but still standing.

"Still alive?" questioned Naruto, looking at the blood on Gaara's forehead.

Gaara said nothing; the panting was answer enough. Naruto was panting as well.

"Haven't had to fight that hard… in a long time," said Naruto. "You're a formidable guy, I'll admit to that. But you don't know what true strength is."

"And what… is true strength then, Uzumaki Naruto?"

"True strength… is the strength you find when you need to protect someone dear to you," said Naruto. As he spoke, all of the observers approached from behind him. "Only when you fight for the sake of someone who is precious to you will you find true strength, and the power to surpass what you are to become something more… something that can protect them." Naruto turned slightly, looking back at his friends, and smiled. Gaara looked at them as well, slightly surprised to realize that Temari and Kankurō looked in worse condition than the others, except for Sasuke.

Both boys wondered what Sasuke, Tenten and Hinata were doing here and when they arrived. Temari and Kankurō rushed forward, past Naruto and to Gaara's side. The blond stepped away, letting the siblings have their moment. He glanced at Tenten and gave a slight nod, after which the kunoichi tossed the puppet and fan over towards them.

"Go home," said Naruto, looking over his shoulder. "You've lost, but you're still alive. You still have each other to look after, and a future in which you can rectify your mistakes."

Gaara and Kankurō said nothing. Temari looked over at them.

"We will," she said. "Naruto-kun… thank you."

Naruto waved off her thanks before jumping into the trees, quickly followed by the other Konoha nin. Once he was a good distance away from the Suna siblings, he allowed himself to collapse to his knees.

"Damn," he muttered. "I really wore myself out there."

"Are you okay Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"A little beaten up, a little winded, but overall, uninjured," said Naruto, feeling his shoulder that had taken the bulk of the impact from Gaara tackling him earlier. "Sasuke-san, Hinata-san, Tenten-san, what are the three of you doing here? You especially, Sasuke-san."

"We were worried," said Sasuke. "Almost stopped when Tenten told us about Gaara's threats, but I had to know what was going on, so I insisted on at least getting close enough for Hinata to check it out."

"I see," said Naruto. "So, how long did it take you guys to bust out?"

"Well, your dragon didn't actually help us," said Sakura. "When she first attacked, the wind she kicked up blew a bunch of kikaichū away and we had to wait for them to get back."

"Sorry."

"Anyways, we got free about the same time that Gaara knocked himself out," said Sakura. "What was up with that?"

"When Shukaku's host is unconscious, he eats away at their personality," said Naruto. "In some cases, he'll actually escape partially. Gaara was purposely letting him loose to increase the power he had against me."

"So you're saying that monster is sealed _inside_ Gaara?" asked Ino. Naruto nodded, standing back up. He looked at Sakura, then at everyone else.

"Did any of you get hurt?"

"Only my pride," said Ino. Kiba nodded in agreement.

"Right… well, let's get back," said Naruto. "I left Isamu back there, but Kikyō said the summoning was broken, so I'm a little worried about Konoha."

"Isamu? _Another_ dragon?" said Kiba. "I mean, it's unbelievable enough that you can summon something like that! I didn't even know that sort of summoning existed!"

"Long story, can tell another time," said Naruto, biting his thumb for the third time today in order to draw blood—at times, that healing could actually be mildly inconvenient.

"Hey, Naruto, are you sure you have the chakra for another summoning?" asked Sakura. Shino nodded.

"Even Fuyuki may be too much for you," he said. Naruto shook his head, calling out some of the Kyūbi's chakra.

"We need to get back quickly," he said as the air swirled around him slightly. "Fuyuki couldn't carry us all anyways. There's someone else I had in mind." He performed the seals and slammed his hand down on the branch. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**."

Another explosion of chakra smoke and all of the Konoha nin felt themselves lifted up into the air.

They were now on a third azure dragon, this one with a slight mane of shimmering silver hair, with scales shimmering in a slightly silvery tint a bit different from the others. Whiskers from the mouth rose up into the air, and the tail has the same shimmering silver hair as the head.

"**Naruto-kun,**" came a female voice that was much softer than the previous summons. It was obvious, after a moment, that this dragon was a fair bit smaller than the others—only about three-quarters the size of Kikyō. "**That's a lot of us you're calling out. Isamu-nii's pretty pissed off at you right now, and some of the others aren't happy with how badly Kikyō-nē's been hurt.**"

"Yeah, I know," said Naruto. "I was kind of in trouble. If you could extend my thanks to Kikyō, I'd really appreciate it. By the way, the people up here with me are my friends; I'd introduce you all, but don't really have time. Guys, this is Kikyō's little sister, Kasumi."

"**A pleasure.**"

"Yeah… nice to meet you," said Kiba. A few of the others seemed to have been rendered speechless by being on top of a dragon.

"Kasumi, we need to get back to Konoha, fast," said Naruto. "That way."

"**Only because Kikyō is fond of you… and okay, I kind of like you myself.**"

The azure dragon took off for Konoha at high speed.

* * *

"Gaara, are you okay?" asked Temari after the Konoha ninja left.

"Why…" Gaara's eyes turned to her. "Why… do you care?"

"Why do I…?" Temari's eyes went wide, and then she did something that she'd never have the nerve to do normally, but which she allowed herself because Gaara was obviously too tired to do anything about it anyway.

_Smack!_

To say the least, both boys were shocked, but it was hard to say who was more caught off-guard by her smacking Gaara.

"You're my little brother you idiot!" cried Temari, pulling him up slightly and wrapping her arms around him. "Of course I care about you! I know you look down on me and threaten me all the time, but I still care! Maybe it's stupid of me, but someone has to look out for you two idiots and I decided that it would be me, no matter how hard you pushed me away!"

Their eyes were wide with shock. But then Kankurō felt like his eyeballs would fall out—so did Temari for that matter—when Gaara weakly lifted his arms and wrapped them around Temari, returning her hug.

"Temari… Kankurō… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Temari, voice thick with tears. "I'm sorry too; I should've done more to look out for you but I let myself be scared away…"

"Me too, Gaara," said Kankurō, putting a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "I'm sorry as well."

At that moment, a gust of wind was kicked up from Naruto summoning another dragon. Temari briefly looked back, an odd expression in her eyes. The boys thought it might almost have been… longing? But she was quick to look back to them.

"Come on… let's forget this stupid invasion… let's just go home."

* * *

It had only taken Kasumi a few minutes to get them back to Konoha, but the battle was already over, the surviving invaders retreating as fast as they could. Naruto saw that the barrier from the stadium was gone, and told Kasumi to take them over there.

The sight of the azure dragon flying over Konoha drew many eyes. Naruto's eyes, however, remained focused on the top of the tower.

"That's…" murmured Anko, staring at the dragon, spotting the figures on top of it.

Naruto leapt off of Kasumi as they flew over the tower, Sakura and Shino following. Kasumi spun through the air, coming to rest next to the roof so the others could depart a bit more safely. Everyone rushed into the trees.

Naruto froze as he spotted the crowd of jōnin and ANBU and the body lying on the roof between them.

"N-no…" whispered Naruto, stepping forward slightly and drawing the attention of several of those there, Kakashi, Kurenai, Jiraiya and Mito among them. The rest of the genin also froze in shock at the sight of the body of the Sandaime Hokage lying on the roof.

Naruto shook his head slightly in denial, walking forward before dropping to his knees just short of the Hokage.

None of the genin, not even Sakura and Shino, knew of how close Naruto had been to the Hokage; but everyone else there… everyone else knew. Watching through the trees, Kasumi let a few tears fall; she had never known the Hokage, but she knew Naruto and that was enough. Flying into the air, the azure dragon let out a soft cry of mourning, her body glowing faintly. The trees all began to shrink away, as though they'd simply never been there, and clouds began to form in the dragon's wake.

"Ojiisan…" whispered Naruto, tears falling from his eyes as he truly cried for the first time since his return to the village, wanting to reach out to the smiling old man's body, but at the same time unable to bring himself to do so.

A soft rain began to fall from the clouds Kasumi was forming, quenching the small fires throughout the village, washing away the blood in the streets.

As Naruto continued to cry, Sakura walked up and knelt next to him, wrapping her arms around him. Kakashi and Mito knelt next to the two, Kakashi placing a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder as Mito rubbed his back in a fashion that could only be called motherly.

The rain seemed appropriate; it was as though Kasumi had asked the sky to shed tears for those who couldn't, whether because they no longer lived to shed them or because they had become far too removed from their emotions to cry on their own anymore.

* * *

Two days later, heavy cloud cover indicated that rain was once again preparing to fall on the village of Konoha, now that they were preparing to hold the funeral of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Naruto stood at the base of the Hokage Mountain viewing platform in black mourning clothes like everyone else around him. A figure stopped next to him, staring up at the platform.

"Some of us aren't allowed up there," she said softly, drawing his eyes briefly to her. He remembered her, because her bright, copper-brown hair and red eyes shining with a cheerful personality had burned itself into his memory even though he hadn't known her long, but he couldn't remember her name right then. "Only the actual ninja and a few special cases are allowed up there, but…"

Her hand clenched into a fist as her face fell forward, hair covering her eyes from his view.

"But he was important to all of us," she said. It was then he noticed the white flower in her hands. She didn't look at him as she held it up. "Uzumaki-san… can you take this there for us?" Looking past her, Naruto saw his other classmates from the academy who had failed the true final exam. Looking back to her, he gave a small nod and accepted the flower.

Then, slowly, he walked away to head up to the platform, while she turned to rejoin her classmates.

* * *

"The funeral of the Sandaime Hokage, who lost his life in the battle, as well as the other victims who gave their lives, will begin now," said Mitokado Homura, one of the Konoha elders who served as an advisor to the Hokage.

By now, the rain had begun to fall on the village. The mourners atop the viewing platform walked forward one by one to lay the flowers they held atop the table in front of the picture of Hiruzen, all of them remembering times with the Hokage now long past and never to come again.

_A ninja mustn't show his emotions in any situation_, thought Naruto. _A ninja must prioritize his mission first and not show any tears._

But there were some things that were just too sad.

They all had fond memories of the Hokage; Naruto may have been among those closest to him, but everyone had looked up to him as part of their family. To Sasuke, he had been the only thing left even close to family after the Uchiha Massacre. To Sakura and Ino, he had been the kind old man who had encouraged them as they played in the flower fields when they were young. To Kiba and Chōji, he had been the grandfather-figure who would get angry at their antics but always encourage them to better themselves. To Shino and Shikamaru, he was the hero who inspired and taught them to always do their best to protect others. To Hinata, he was the man who always looked after her from afar and ensured that no matter how bad things seemed, they would always be better in the end.

To Naruto, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been the first family he had ever known, long before Naruto had known him as the Hokage. Deep down, it was never the acknowledgment of the village he had craved, not the attention of people regardless of how negative, not to prove himself to anyone. Deep down, Naruto's desire to be Hokage had stemmed, first and foremost, from his desire to be like Hiruzen. His pranks had garnered the attention he enjoyed from people, but they had started because it was a way to pull Hiruzen away from his work for a few minutes to spend time with Naruto. Before anything else, before proving himself to unknown parents, to teachers, to friends or the village, Naruto wanted to make his grandfather proud.

As Naruto laid the two flowers on the table, one for himself and one for those who couldn't be here now, he made a silent promise to his grandfather that he would make him proud.

It was a silent promise of a lifetime, and no force in this world or the next, not even the might of the Shinigami, would stop Naruto from fulfilling that promise.

* * *

The next day, Homura was talking to Utatane Koharu about who to suggest as the next Hokage in the upcoming meeting with the Fire Daimyō.

"We must make a decision quickly, before Danzō acts to force himself into the position," said Koharu. Homura nodded slightly in agreement. "His ambition is growing. While I feel his policies are necessary, Danzō himself is not, and he is becoming problematic."

"I do not disagree, but direct action would likely be a mistake," said Homura, "no matter how much he may be at fault for recent problems. Still, his ambition is becoming dangerous. It rather reminds me of Orochimaru."

"It may be distasteful, but our best option in the long-term may be to take over his 'policies' ourselves," said Koharu.

"Perhaps, but we are also to blame for some things, such as the incident with the Uchiha," said Homura softly, coming to a stop. "But we must not be sidetracked. A new Hokage must be selected before Danzō can make his move. I will not allow him to tear down everything Sarutobi-sama gave his life for not even a week after his death."

"Yes… do you think, perhaps, _he_ may be a good choice?"

"You mean Jiraiya? Perhaps. I would think Kakashi might be another good choice, but Jiraiya will be easier to convince, and easier for people to stomach; even Namikaze-sama was older than Kakashi is now when he took the position of Hokage."

* * *

"Naruto-san."

Naruto, who'd been looking over the village, glanced back over his shoulder to see a trio of ANBU standing there. The one in the middle wore a white cloak instead of the usual black, and was wearing a cat-mask.

"Yes?" asked Naruto, turning to face them fully. He was wearing his standard cloak again, but his straw hat was off currently, hanging from his neck. "Is something wrong?"

"We are uncertain," said 'Cat'. "During the invasion, we were present to witness Hokage-sama's battle with Orochimaru, but unable to intervene due to the barrier. Before the battle began, the two discussed you. Orochimaru claimed, and it seemed that Hokage-sama confirmed, that during your two-year absence from the village, you were trained by the criminals Uchiha Itachi and Kazekaika Mai."

Naruto stiffened imperceptibly.

"Are you here to take me into custody?" he asked softly, uncertain what he'd do if that were the case.

"No," said Cat immediately. "We merely wished to ask a few questions, strictly off the record. Hokage-sama expressed the belief that your loyalty was without question."

"Then ask. I'll answer what I can."

"Most importantly, we must know if it is indeed true."

"Yes," said Naruto. "Mai-nēsan gave me the Forbidden Scroll to return to the village when I came back. She also gave me the sword, Eldhi-Arc, and is the one who gave me the dragon contract to sign."

"Were you aware at the time that they were criminals, and do you have any idea why they took you from the village?"

"I wasn't," said Naruto, shaking his head. "And no, I don't know. It was Mai-nēsan's idea, but that's all I know."

"Do you know why Hokage-sama still felt that you could be trusted, beyond your personal connection? In fact, Hokage-sama seemed to believe your loyalty would be greater for having trained under these two."

"Yes, I know why," said Naruto. "But… I really shouldn't tell you right now. It's an extremely high-ranked secret that I was told of solely because of my… unique association with them."

"I understand," said Cat. "Then, two final questions. First, can you confirm if it has any connection to the Uchiha Massacre?"

"I can; it does."

"Thank you. And second, should you ever be in a position in which you allowed to divulge this secret to us, will you do so?"

"You're willing to trust me even knowing about my teachers," said Naruto. "I think that's only fair."

"Thank you, Naruto-san. That is reassuring. We will not speak of this to anyone. This incident never happened."

Naruto nodded slightly in understanding as the trio of ANBU all disappeared.

* * *

The next day, two figures stood on the perimeter of Konoha, looking into the damaged village.

"I know better than anyone the limits of my power; yet still, I wonder if we couldn't have done more to stop this."

"Every future in which Orochimaru lived saw this happen. You are not at fault for that."

"We should've killed the snake; it's not _that_ likely that anyone would've challenged us. He attacked us first."

"I agree, but at the time, we judged it too risky. The extent of the power held within your eyes must remain hidden until he has awakened."

"When he finds out the truth, he isn't going to accept it. If you keep him in the dark until then, he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

"Perhaps. But he'll be safe."

"I don't know if you're the best brother ever or the worst, Itachi."

"There is only one way to find out, Mai. Let's go; it's only been a few months since we dropped off Naruto, but it feels like too many lifetimes already."

With that, Itachi and Mai entered Konoha, to see their little brothers and deliver a not-so-subtle message to a certain conniving war hawk.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did you all think? I really enjoyed this personally, but that's me after all.**

**I apologize for the Temari slaps Gaara bit; I know it's pretty OOC, but for some reason, when I had Gaara question why they were worried about him, I couldn't help but have her smack him for being an idiot. -_-  
**

**Moving on, the rookies were certainly all "badasses in distress"; they didn't become weaker just on account of Gaara knowing exactly how to hold them, and it didn't stop Shino from figuring out how to take down their "guards" so they could be freed.  
**

**And then Lee shows off that even with a broken leg and armed only with crutches, he will _not_ just lie down; I really enjoyed showing him as still capable of beating the crap out of people when he really needed to, even though it was only a couple hours after being severely damaged in his fight with Sakura. After all, Lee's defining characteristic, when you really get down to it, is that he refuses to give up under any circumstances.  
**

**We'll get to see more about the damage suffered by Orochimaru and his main subordinates later; probably how I'll open the next chapter, to be perfectly honest. Also, I obviously didn't forget about those ANBU who found out who's been teaching Naruto, and I also bring up Danzo and take a look at the relationship between him and the other elders.  
**

**Most significantly, I wanted to get the Hokage's death right; his death proper is something we're all familiar with. No, to freshen this a little, I focused more on just how hard this hit Naruto in the gut. He's gotten a little misty-eyed before (notably when Sakura and Shino placed their faith in him as he revealed the Kyubi), but this is the first time in the whole damn fic that he's actually broken down and _cried_. I wanted to put some heavy emphasis on his relationship with the Hokage.  
**

**Finally, the dragons. I'd like to explain my reasoning for it all a little: within the Chinese "Four Symbols" that inspired the azure dragons, they are associated with wood, one of the elements of Chinese mythology. Within Japanese mythology, dragons are associated with water and the sea. And finally, within popular culture (and for me personally), it's common to see the "Four Symbols" azure dragon associated with wind. Here, their primary element is wind, but as shown in the chapter, they have water-based abilities as well (they are _not_ the most heavily associated with water though), and have a certain amount of "wood release" power, even though they have very little in the "earth release" department. I know that's a mild contradiction of canon, but we're talking about mythological dragons here. I ask that you just roll with it.  
**

**To end this, we have Itachi and Mai's return. You guys are _finally_ going to learn some of what's been going on in all of this, such as why they took Naruto from the village, some more of their history, what Mai is capable of, and, oh yeah, the biggest thing of all: the significance of the title "_Bloodlines_".  
**

**Please review; I really appreciate hearing everyone's opinions. ^_^  
**

* * *

**********Jutsu Translations:**  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique  
Kaze Shōgai – Wind Barrier  
Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei – Summoning: Impure World Resurrection  
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet  
Shiki Fūjin – Dead Demon Consuming Seal  
Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu – Feigning Sleep Technique  
Fūton: Renkūdan – Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet  
Fūton: Kazeyari – Wind Release: Wind Spear  
Suiton: Teppōdama – Water Release: Gunshot


	20. Bloodlines

**Gah! Man this chapter was irritating to write! I had to revise several different scenes like, five times each before I was satisfied! And I'm _still_ not sure if I got it just right!**

**On a sidenote, it seems I need to slow down my update speeds; I get more reviews that way. ^_^  
**

**One thing, I'd like to apologize if any of you find the stuff from Mai to be off-putting; sufficed to say, most of this was planned pretty much from the start (or at least since the revision to lower her power level, since I NEVER want to go to the power level canon is now showing off).  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I claim ownership of the OC Kazekaika Mai, as I'm pretty sure I've never seen a character quite like her elsewhere.  
**

* * *

Orochimaru grunted slightly in pain as Kabuto helped him into his seat. The pain in his arms was intense, and that was effectively all he could feel from them—the feeling of the flesh and bone dying as slowly and painfully as possible.

"The entire invasion backfired," muttered Orochimaru.

"Well, there were some small successes," said Kabuto. "You slew two of the five Kage, and did get that new leash on Uchiha Sasuke."

"Perhaps," said Orochimaru. "But we lost two-thirds of our forces; they are expendable, but to be wasted like that is something I am not happy about. You were injured fighting Hyūga Hiashi when he was found guarding Sasuke-kun, and my guards were injured maintaining the barrier as it took those blows from the dragon. How is Kidōmaru?"

"Out of danger," said Kabuto. "It may be months before he's fully recovered though. The others are worried you may punish them for taking you away from the battle without explicit orders."

"Assure them that they have nothing to fear," said Orochimaru. "I may punish failure, but under the circumstances, they did what was best while I was in no condition to give out rational orders."

"I understand," said Kabuto. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"Set spies on Uzumaki Naruto," said Orochimaru. "He is a grave threat now; we must eliminate him."

"Very well, Orochimaru-sama."

"Other than that, return to your new duties. It is regrettable that you will be unable to spy personally."

"I regret my carelessness Orochimaru-sama."

"A minor failure on your part. It was likely inevitable that you would be found out, though that it was a mere tokubetsu jōnin was a surprise. What was his name again?"

"Gekkō Hayate. I was sure to pay him back for exposing me during our invasion."

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the Memorial Stone, looking at all the new names carved onto it. So many names… he silently promised himself that Orochimaru wouldn't get away with this.

A moment later, Kakashi showed up behind him, and Naruto turned to look at his sensei.

"You wanted to see me?" asked Kakashi, suspecting he knew what was up. Naruto nodded.

"Kakashi-sensei… I'm ready," said Naruto. "I'm ready to know the truth about why he chose me."

Kakashi nodded, walking up to Naruto and looked at his sensei's name on the Memorial Stone.

"I believe there were… a few reasons," said Kakashi. "But perhaps first and foremost… it was because he couldn't ask anyone else to make the sacrifice."

"Couldn't ask anyone else but a small child?"

"No," said Kakashi, shaking his head. "He couldn't ask anyone else to let their child become a prison for the Kyūbi. So he made the sacrifice of using his own child."

Naruto's reaction was subdued. Not that that was a surprise; Naruto had suspected that possibility for awhile, but never really allowed himself to believe in that fantasy.

"I see… I always thought… always hoped… that that was the case… that he was my father… but at the same time… at the same time…!"

Naruto punched the Memorial Stone right where his father's name was engraved.

"At the same time, I can't help but resent him for deciding my future like that!" cried Naruto. Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, gripping him in a fashion he hoped would help Naruto feel secure.

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Kakashi. He paused for a moment before continuing. "There's another reason though, which may be even more important."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi.

"To be the vessel that contains the Kyūbi… is your heritage, Naruto," said Kakashi. This time, Naruto reacted immediately, gasping in surprise. "Including yourself, there have been three vessels of the Kyūbi. All of them belonging to the Uzumaki Clan. Naruto, the previous host was Uzumaki Kushina… your mother."

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"No," said Kakashi, shaking his head. "She was your mother; those birthmarks on your face? That's not from being the Kyūbi's container. That's because your mother was containing the Kyūbi when she had you. The Kyūbi's strength is incredible Naruto… Jiraiya-sama isn't sure anyone _but_ an Uzumaki could contain it."

Naruto looked away.

"I can't even imagine what it must be like to carry that burden," said Kakashi. "Nor what it must be like to know that it's because of your parents that you had to carry it at all. But Naruto… don't doubt for an instant that they both loved you dearly. And… all of us are here for you. Our team, and all of your others friends. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"I know… hey, Kakashi-sensei… can you tell me more about them?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"Of course, Naruto."

* * *

With the recent loss of the Hokage, Sasuke found himself thinking of the last time he'd felt this sense of loss.

It wasn't as bad this time of course. It was only one person, and not someone as close to him as his family.

His entire clan was murdered four years ago. Fugaku, his father. Mikoto, his mother. And many others: Teyaki, Uruchi, Mai, Yakumi, Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka, Mana, Yakumi, Tashiro, Namiyo, Tai, Yoshinori, Yutsuko, Tadahisa, Mayu, Yumi, Eien, Saionji…

And countless others. Too many for Sasuke to have known all of them personally, too many for Sasuke to remember all of their names.

Far, far too many. Someday, he'd make Itachi pay for all that blood he'd bathed himself in.

Just not today. Sasuke looked around the compound, a place he'd had to himself for years now.

The Cursed Seal on his neck throbbed suddenly, but Sasuke forced it back down with the aid of the seal placed by the Sandaime.

He would never let that thing control him. If he ever released its power, it would only be for the sake of protecting his friends.

But knowing what it did to him, Sasuke silently prayed it would never come to that.

* * *

Shimura Danzō smirked as he reread Hiruzen's letter to Naruto. At long last, he would have access to the power of the Yondaime Hokage. He could hardly believe Hiruzen would be stupid enough to hand this kind of power to an idiotic, sentimental boy like the Kyūbi vessel, but the Hokage had always been a sentimental fool himself.

"Danzō-sama," said a Root ANBU appearing next to him. "We have been unable to break the seals. They are far more powerful than anything we have seen."

Danzō suppressed the urge to growl, merely nodding his head instead.

"Continue to work at it; that power will ensure my position as Hokage, and the future superiority of Konoha shall be guaranteed."

* * *

"You failed me."

"Hey, it's not my fault! I did exactly as instructed; it all should've worked out! Hokage-sama was the one to mess everything up by changing how he assembled the teams; if he hadn't done that, I would've been on Naruto-kun's team, just like you wanted, I barely passed the tests and everything!"

"I know; I didn't anticipate that. You still failed, just not through any fault of your own."

"As long as you understand. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get much information for you."

"Again, it's not your fault. But let's move on to what you do have: who are Naruto's teammates?"

"Aburame Shino and Haruno Sakura. I'm disappointed, honestly, because Naruto-kun is dating Haruno-san now. I'd been hoping he might be a good boyfriend."

"You were doomed to failure, trust me on that. Do you know their chakra nature affinities?"

"Aburame-san is earth, as usual for that clan. Haruno-san is water; I think it's fitting for her."

"I see; that meshes well with Naruto though. Was he wind?"

"Just as you thought; he's made good use of those dragons you gave him. And what was with that sword? Why don't I get anything cool like that? I'm risking my neck here for you!"

"You can back away if you like; it isn't as though I'd punish you for it."

"Yeah, but… well, I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Maybe you don't think I do, but I know better. Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Not right now; feel free to perform your best, you should be on the fast track out of the academy, so you can be a full genin in a good eight or nine months."

"That'll be nice; can I get a good teacher?"

"Oh, I think that can be arranged."

"Thanks. Oh, and um… will I still get to sign the contract?"

"Eventually, yes."

"Okay… um… can I… have them back as well? I promise I won't show them to anyone, but you won't be back for awhile, so…!"

"No problem. But it might hurt a little; I've never done it with this level of isolation."

"I won't scream."

"Good, don't want to draw attention."

The Mangekyō Sharingan flashed to life, double-stars staring into the younger set of eyes. The owner placed two fingers on her subordinate's forehead.

"**Takamagahara**…"

The spy closed her eyes. She giggled slightly.

"Mai… that tickles. It's really weird."

"I'm sure." Mai's Mangekyō Sharingan faded, first into the Sharingan, then to the vibrant bright cerulean of her natural eyes so different from those of ordinary Sharingan users.

"Did it work?" asked her subordinate, opening her eyes. Mai smiled.

"Yeah, it worked," she said softly, staring into her subordinate's two tomoe Sharingan eyes.

* * *

When Sakura and Shino arrived at the training grounds, it was to find Naruto and Kakashi talking and occasionally letting out small, light-hearted laughs.

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei!" called Sakura as she broke into a run. After the Chūnin Exams, she'd wound up ditching the cloak and returning to her previous regular attire the same as Naruto and Shino had done. Having a cool look similar to her teammates wasn't important now that they weren't scaring the crap out of potential enemy genin, and as they'd said, it got kind of hot wearing it all the time. She had, however, added some storage scrolls, and a tube slung across her back that used seals to hold large amounts of water without actually weighing anything.

"Sakura, Shino," said Naruto. He smiled at them. "I was beginning to think you'd traded habits with Kakashi-sensei."

"Not a chance," said Sakura, grimacing. "No way in hell am I reading those smut books."

"Hey now, they're a legitimate form of literature," said Kakashi.

"For a certain definition of 'legitimate'," muttered Sakura, rolling her eyes. She then looked back to Naruto and noticed something.

She'd gotten good at being able to read him; she chalked it up to a perk of being his girlfriend. She was quick to realize that he was feeling a large mix of emotions right now.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?" asked Sakura. Naruto smiled.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Kakashi-sensei and I were just talking about… the fox… and my parents."

Sakura and Shino's eyes widened.

"Wait, your parents?!" cried Sakura, before turning to Kakashi. "You knew?!"

"Yes," said Kakashi. "I never told Naruto because his parents had a lot to do with why he had the Kyūbi sealed away inside him. But I did know his parents, very well in fact." He looked at Naruto. "I won't say anything though; that's Naruto's choice."

"No secrets," said Naruto firmly. "But… well, I'd like some time to digest it myself before we really talk."

"Sure Naruto," said Sakura. "Take as long as you need." Behind her, Shino nodded.

"We will always be ready to hear it whenever you are ready to share it with us," he said. Naruto nodded his thanks.

At that moment, Jiraiya appeared on the training grounds.

* * *

Two dozen Root ANBU were lying on the ground, knocked unconscious by the powerful genjutsu employed by the two intruders. Danzō sat in his seat, eyeing the two calmly.

"I find it interesting that I believe your actions may have been necessary," commented Danzō rather lightly. "Even in Root, few know the truth about that day four years ago."

"Really? But Danzō-kun, don't you trust them? Ne, ne, Danzo-kun trusts Ita-kun and Mai-chan, right, Danzō-kun? Danzō-kun?"

Danzō ignored the insane kunoichi, instead focusing his attention on Itachi as Mai stopped babbling about trust and instead went over to start poking at an unconscious Root operative and giggling lightly to herself as she did so.

"Why have you returned?" he asked Itachi.

"To remind you," said Itachi. "I am still here; I am still watching. If you harm so much as a single hair on my otōto's head, then I shall teach you terror like you have never known. If I learn that you become Hokage while I still draw breath…"

"Ne, ne, Danzō-kun wants to be Hokage? But… but…" Mai's eyes seemed to fill with childish tears. "But Danzō-kun couldn't play in the shadows if Danzō-kun became Hokage! Ne, Ita-kun, Danzō-kun isn't really going to become Hokage, right, right?"

"No," said Itachi. His lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "If Danzō _does_ become Hokage, then you should help him back to the shadows."

"Oooh, Mai-chan has the perfect thing! Don't worry Danzō-kun; Mai-chan won't let Danzō-kun be dragged from the shadows!"

Danzō barely resisted the urge to cradle the oncoming headache. Conversations with Mai present always seemed to induce them. He had no idea how Itachi could stand her, but even he could admit that she was the ultimate weapon for anyone who could give her direction.

"Danzō, we have also learned that you are in possession of a certain letter from Hokage-sama intended for Uzumaki Naruto," said Itachi. "You are to cease your attempts to take the boy's heritage, and hand the letter over to Jiraiya for safekeeping, or to Elder Homura if you cannot get it to Jiraiya. We will remain in the village until this is done."

Slowly, Danzō nodded. One-on-one, he suspected he might've been able to take either of the two in front of him. But together, it would take all the might of Konoha to reasonably challenge them.

"It's time Mai. We're leaving."

"Okay Ita-kun!" said Mai excitedly before turning and waving to Danzō in a fast, exaggerated motion. "Bye-bye, Danzō-kun!"

And like that, the two departed. Danzō stared at the letter sitting nearby and suppressed a sigh before cradling his head in a futile effort to fight off the headache he'd gotten.

He'd have to reseal the letter before personally delivering the letter to Jiraiya or Homura. Taking orders from Itachi rubbed Danzō the wrong way, but the threat posed by the last loyal Uchiha was far too grave for him to ignore the demand.

* * *

"Jiraiya-sama," said Kakashi.

"Hi, Ero-sennin," said Naruto with a slight wave.

"Hello, Ero-sensei," said Sakura, mimicking Naruto in a slightly more respectful fashion. Jiraiya didn't let it faze him—he'd gotten used to the way the two talked to him.

"I thought I'd find you here," said Jiraiya. "I just talked to the advisors; the crazy folk wanted _me_ to become Hokage; can you believe a ridiculous notion like that?"

"To be fair, you're probably the strongest ninja Konoha has right now," said Kakashi, his students nodding in agreement. Jiraiya chuckled.

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," he said. "Anyways, strength isn't everything. We need a Hokage who can also lead; if not for that, I would think Naruto would be perfect for the job, especially with all those rumors flying around about his taking on the Ichibi."

Naruto scratched the back of his head slightly.

"Sounds great, but I'm a little young," he said. "I'm not even a chūnin."

"Only because the official decision won't be made till we have a Hokage," said Jiraiya. "Now then, all of this brings me to why I'm here. First, I figured I'd let you know that Suna found out they'd been duped; Orochimaru murdered the Kazekage and impersonated him to fool them into attacking Konoha. They've officially surrendered to us, and are offering to do whatever they can to help us recover. Second, I happen to know someone who would be an excellent choice for Hokage, and figured I'd see if any of you would like to come. It couldn't be more than two of you given the state of the village, but I figured I should make the offer."

"Who were you thinking of?" questioned Kakashi. Jiraiya smirked, his eyes moving to Sakura.

"Tsunade."

"That settles it, I'm going," said Sakura the instant she heard that name. Jiraiya laughed slightly.

"Yeah, I figured that would peak your interest," said Jiraiya. "Naruto, I'd like to bring you along as well. There are some things I'd like to teach you, and with sensei's death the other day, I figured you'd like to get away for awhile."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, I think I could use a bit of a break from the village," he said. "Besides, I'd like to talk to you about my parents some."

"So Kakashi told you, eh?"

"Oh," said Sakura softly, drawing attention. "If you want to talk to Ero-sensei about your parents, maybe I should stay? You'll be bringing Tsunade back here after all…"

"Hmm." Naruto looked thoughtful. "I'm… not sure. It would be nice to get out of the village together, but…"

"We should probably take a bit of a break from each other anyway," said Sakura, smiling sweetly at him. "Wouldn't want to suddenly find we want to kill each other, and we shouldn't take more than one member away from our team anyways, right?"

"Yes," said Kakashi, eyeing Jiraiya. The Gama-Sennin's expression suggested he thought this was for the best. "Alright, why don't you three go get Naruto ready to leave? Hang out a little while before departure. I was supposed to meet Asuma for something anyways."

* * *

Itachi and Mai sat in the dango shop usually frequented by Mitarashi Anko, using genjutsu to silently communicate.

"_There are times I worry about your act, Mai,"_ said Itachi. _"It seems to grow more childish every time you use it."_

"_We agreed that no one could know the truth,"_ replied Mai. _"As far as the village is concerned, I lost my mind completely eight years ago. Only our clansmen knew the truth."_

"_Were you able to meet her?"_

"_Yes,"_ said Mai. _"Things didn't go as we had hoped; I broke the transformation on her eyes. She asked for a good teacher. I was thinking you-know-who might be a good choice."_

To his credit, Itachi showed no outward signs of reaction.

"_That could be difficult," _said Itachi,_ "after what you did to her, her hatred of you goes beyond reason."_

"_That was the idea. And it's not just that; I also need to…"_

They broke the communication as they sensed the presences outside the dango shop.

"I see you two get along well," said Kakashi, looking at Asuma and Kurenai. Sasuke was following a little ways behind them.

"Idiot, I'm just here because Anko asked me to get her some dumplings," said Kurenai with a slight blush.

"I'm surprised that you were here before us," said Asuma, walking forward a bit as Sasuke caught up. "You're usually late for everything."

"Well, some things came up with training," said Kakashi. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Sasuke's training," said Asuma. Itachi and Mai's fingers twitched on their cups. "I thought about it, and I think he's ready for _that_."

"Asuma, what are you talking about?" asked Sasuke.

"The technique I mentioned to you when we started your training for the Third Exam," said Kakashi. However, even as he spoke to Sasuke, one eye was on two cloaked figures in the shop. "It will take some work, but it's a powerful A-rank ninjutsu; with it, you just might have the power to protect your friends."

"I'd rather be able to help Naruto next time something like that happens," agreed Sasuke. It was about then that he noticed where Kakashi seemed to be staring, and looked into the dango shop.

Two cups of green tea, some natto and dumplings were sitting on a table with no occupants.

"Is something wrong?" asked Sasuke.

"No," said Asuma, though he, Kurenai and Kakashi shared an almost imperceptible nod between them. "Well, I'll leave you two to it."

With that, he and Kurenai disappeared. Sasuke frowned slightly.

"Well… why don't you head back to the Uchiha Compound?" said Kakashi. "Find anything you can relating to Raiton ninjutsu and their use, particularly in regards to learning to use them, and then meet me at the usual training grounds."

Sasuke nodded slightly, a part of him wondering what was going on as Kakashi disappeared.

* * *

"Good luck Naruto," said Shino. The others nodded.

"Yeah, good luck, and make sure to come back safe and sound, okay?" said Ino.

"Don't worry, I will."

"You better," said Kiba. "There's still a lot of stuff we need to talk about."

"Not to mention we need to all go out and celebrate when your promotion to chūnin is official!" said Chōji.

"Hey, it's not like we know for sure I passed just yet," said Naruto, scratching the back of his head slightly.

"Don't be modest Naruto," said Ino, rolling her eyes. "You made chūnin. Period. End of story. No questions asked." Behind her, Hinata was nodding in agreement, eyes on the ground, too shy to really speak up right now.

Finally, Sakura grabbed Naruto and dragged him into a hug.

"Be safe," she said softly. "I want my boyfriend intact when we finally get to our second date."

Naruto smiled slightly, returning the hug. Ino and Hinata both shifted slightly, feeling jealous of Sakura right now. Then, as the two broke the hug, Sakura gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek.

"For luck," she said, eyes twinkling mischievously. Naruto grinned.

"Thanks," he said, putting his straw hat on and leaving him almost completely covered.

"Alright kids, settle down now," said Jiraiya, appearing behind Naruto. Except for Team Kakashi, the rookies found themselves gaping in surprise. "Come on Naruto, let's get going."

"Sure, Ero-sennin."

* * *

Around the time Naruto was departing, the two cloaked visitors were walking along next to the central river of Konoha when Asuma and Kurenai appeared in front of them.

"You're not from this village, are you?" said Asuma. "Why did you come here?" Depending on the answer, he figured he might question the resemblance of their outfits to the one Naruto traditionally wore.

"It's been awhile, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san," said the figure on their left.

There was something decidedly grim about that answer.

"If you know us, you must be a former ninja of this village," said Asuma.

In response, the figure who'd been speaking reached up and lifted his straw hat slightly, revealing his red eyes with three mitsu tomoe in them. Asuma and Kurenai's eyes went wide with shock, and both stiffened in surprise.

"Y-you're…"

The figure removed his straw hat, revealing Itachi's face to them. He pulled his left hand into his coat and used it to snap open the top few buttons on his coat.

"Ne, ne, Asu-kun, Nai-chan, how has it been?" said the remaining figure. If the two jōnins eyes got any wider, they'd have fallen out of their sockets as Mai pulled her own straw hat off, staring at the two jōnin with the expression of a smiling, cheerful child, popping open a few buttons of her own coat so that the high-collar wasn't covering her neck from their view.

"Uchiha Itachi… Kazekaika Mai…" said Asuma. "You've got some nerve coming back here after what you two did."

"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san," said Itachi, "please don't get involved in my work. I have no intention of…"

"Ne, ne, Ita-kun, why can't Asu-kun and Nai-chan be involved?" asked Mai. "Mai-chan bets that Asu-kun and Nai-chan could really help out!"

Itachi couldn't help it. He let out a sigh of irritation.

"Be serious Mai."

"But Mai-chan's _always_ serious!" whined Mai. Asuma and Kurenai blinked at the absurdity of it; it seemed like Mai had gone even further off the deep end since they'd last seen her.

"Mai… they are the enemy."

Mai's eyes shifted for just a second… and then suddenly, her playfulness seemed to disappear.

"Is that… so…" she said, straightening up, head turning to look at the river causing some of her long black hair to cover her eyes. Asuma and Kurenai shifted slightly, ready for a fight. "Mai-chan… Mai-chan understands…" Her tone dead now, Mai's head turned back towards them, and her cerulean eyes now shined with murderous bloodlust. "Mai-chan… will destroy Asu-kun and Nai-chan… Mai-chan… will kill the enemy…"

"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san… if you do not step aside…" Itachi trailed off, the implied threat hanging in the air.

"Forget it," said Asuma. Itachi only reacted by tossing his straw hat to the side as the two pairs eyed each other.

The hat hit the ground…

… and Mai exploded into action—almost literally.

A mass of glowing white… something… shot forth from Mai's body, taking on the shape of a human woman—Mai's uncloaked silhouette in fact. It moved its arm as though it was swinging something down on them, and as it did so, a massive sword of the same substance formed in its hand. Kurenai dodged back as Asuma sidestepped, neither wanting to learn what the thing could do to them. The entity pulled back, swinging its sword around lightning fast and brought it back down on Asuma.

The chain-smoking jōnin pulled out his trench knives in the blink of an eye, infusing them with chakra and raising them up to block the ethereal sword. Contact was made, and Asuma nearly fell to his knees under the force of the impact.

_What power…_ he thought, struggling to keep the blade from coming to his shoulder as Kurenai performed a genjutsu behind him. Slowly, the blade inched down. _Unbelievable… what kind of jutsu is this?_

The blade touched Asuma's shoulder, and pain exploded in Asuma's body. He quickly backed out from under the blade, teeth grit against the pain in his shoulder, looking at the damaged area with one eye… but his sleeves were intact. His clothes showed no sign of external damage, and there was no blood, but his shoulder burned with pain. What in the world was that?

"**Reiton: Bushikatagi**," murmured Mai, who hadn't moved at all since declaring that she would kill her enemies. "This is one of Mai-chan's main Reiton ninjutsu."

"So… that was the infamous Soul Release?" questioned Asuma.

Soul Release… a unique and powerful type of chakra nature transformation that had only been used by one individual in history: Kazekaika Mai, the woman who presumably created it by taking advantage of the unique properties of her chakra. Rumors about Reiton abounded, but the only person who could know what was true and what was false was Mai herself.

At that moment, mud began to seep up from the ground over Mai and the ethereal Reiton warrior, and a tree began to grow into place behind Itachi, wrapping branches around him.

"You're late, Kurenai," said Asuma. Itachi and Mai didn't really react.

"That won't work, Nai-chan," said Mai, still not moving or even turning her head as the ethereal warrior passed through the mud and rushed Asuma again, it's oversized sword transforming into a katana, with a wakizashi held in the off-hand.

Meanwhile, Itachi's face showed no expression as Kurenai grew out of the tree above him and swung a kunai at his throat… only to suddenly find herself bound to the tree in his place while the mud disappeared from Mai.

"This level of genjutsu won't work on us," said Itachi, pulling out a kunai of his own. Asuma struggled to deflect the lightning fast sword strikes of the ethereal warrior, unable to help Kurenai in any way. The genjutsu mistress bit her lip, causing the genjutsu to break just in time for her to duck under Itachi's slash with the kunai, but Itachi then lashed out with a kick. Kurenai raised both arms to block, but was sent flying over the railing and into the river.

"Kurenai!" cried Asuma, glancing that way… only to get a cut on the arm from the katana for his trouble. As before, the clothes remained intact but Asuma felt like the place he'd been cut was on fire after being sliced by a billion tiny razors.

"Asu-kun has no time to look away from Mai-chan," said Mai in that same dead tone. Despite the tone, her eyes continued to shine with insane bloodlust.

"That was pretty nice, Kurenai-san," said Itachi, standing right behind Kurenai on the water as she pushed herself to the surface with chakra. Kurenai gasped in shock, looking back at him. "But…"

"But this is it… for you," said a new voice behind Itachi.

Back on dry land, Asuma dodged several attacks and lashed out with his trench knives, the wind chakra infused into them cutting into the cheek of the ethereal warrior that would have otherwise dodged. Apparently, that was some sort of weakness, as the ghostly warrior seemed to dissipate.

"Chakra… the only thing that can touch Mai-chan's warriors," said Mai. "But…" The water in the river began to bubble and rise as Mai subtly employed a technique she'd mimicked from Kisame when she killed him. "**Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu**."

"**Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu**!"

Two masses of water rose from the river, collecting behind the respective users, then shot forth, crashing into each other.

"And why did you come here?" questioned Asuma, looking at Kakashi, who'd mimicked Mai's technique using his Sharingan. He looked over at Mai "I didn't even see her use the hand seals…"

"She didn't," said Kakashi. "She created a clone hidden in the shadows to perform the jutsu for her and dispelled it once complete. She may have lost her mind years ago, but her ability to fight and fool opponents hasn't been hampered in the slightest."

"And I'm here because I got worried," said the Kakashi holding a kunai next to Itachi's back.

"Hatake Kakashi," said Itachi, turning slightly to stare at the Kakashi behind him, wondering which one was the clone.

"Kashi-kun…" said Mai softly, a bit of tone back in her voice even though the look in her eyes remained unchanged. "Kashi-kun… is Kashi-kun also Mai-chan's enemy?"

"To my misfortune," said Kakashi.

"Mai," said Itachi. "You should not fight him head-on."

"Ita-kun… Mai-chan can't…"

"Do not forget our purpose in coming here."

"Well then…" said the Kakashi next to Asuma. "Perhaps you could tell us your purpose?" That Kakashi then popped out of existence. Itachi turned to face the remaining Kakashi.

"We just came here to find something we're looking for," said Itachi.

"And what exactly are you looking for?" asked Kakashi.

Silence reigned for a minute.

"Mai," said Itachi. "We shouldn't waste time."

Suddenly, his right hand emerged from his cloak, clutching shuriken between his fingers. Kakashi shot back, rushing through hand seals.

"**Suiton: Suijinheki**!" he said, using the jutsu to raise the water around him in a full wall behind him just as tendrils of water shot out of the water and attempted to slam into him.

_His seal speed is unreal_, thought Kakashi. _I could barely follow Mai's with my Sharingan, but Itachi is too fast to even perceive. Those decoy shuriken in his hand nearly caused me to miss what he was really up to as well._

The two water techniques ended.

"Your insight is impressive…" complimented Itachi.

"But…" said another Itachi, stabbing a kunai into Kakashi's back.

"A shadow clone?" said Kurenai. "No way, he uses his techniques way too fast…"

However, Kakashi suddenly dissolved into water.

And then Itachi and Kurenai spotted Kakashi's arm moving just under the surface of the water next to the feet of the first Itachi.

"Nice," said Kurenai, with a smile, pulling a kunai held out towards her and raising it towards Itachi.

"Kurenai, get down!" cried Kakashi, shooting out of the water and tackling Kurenai away. "That one's the shadow clone!"

"What?" said Kurenai.

And then the first Itachi suddenly exploded, sending a mass of water flying into the air.

"Th-that's…!" Asuma's eyes went wide with shock and his mouth fell open enough for what remained of his cigarette to fall out. "Kakashi, Kurenai!"

Asuma jumped towards the water to try and aide his comrades. Just before crashing into the stream, however, his focus was lost when he felt himself pierced several times in the back by that strange Reiton energy, and he tumbled into the water uncontrolled.

With no one watching her now, the still unmoving Mai who Asuma and Kurenai had first encountered flickered out of existence, the real Mai releasing the shadow clone after completing her other tasks. The real Mai then appeared next to Itachi, watching with him as the water fell like rain on the three jōnin, Asuma barely holding himself on top of the water.

"_Itachi, I'm done,"_ she communicated to him using the same genjutsu from the dango shop. _"All that's left is to see if Danzō did as ordered. This should help with that if any of his operatives see it."_

"_Good. I trust you can control yourself?"_

"_Shisui didn't want me going after Danzō; until he crosses the line for me personally, I won't kill him."_

The two broke the communication as the jōnin regained their bearings. Mai quickly settled herself into the posture her clone had used, eyes filled with insane bloodlust.

Getting that look in her eyes was easy; after all, Mai really had completely lost her mind years ago, if only for a short time.

"Don't let your guard down," said Kakashi as Asuma tore his sleeve to finally check where he'd been hit in the arm. To his surprise, his skin appeared completely undamaged. "Itachi was an ANBU Captain at the age of thirteen, and Mai was a jōnin when she was only twelve, younger than anyone else I've ever known."

"I didn't expect them to be this tough," said Asuma, standing up despite the pain he was in.

"No… they haven't even begun to take this seriously," said Kakashi.

"What's up with her jutsu?" questioned Kurenai. "Asuma doesn't look hurt at all."

"I sure feel hurt."

"Mai's the only one who really knows Reiton ninjutsu," said Kakashi. "I always suspected it attacked chakra coils, somewhat like the Jūken."

"Any ideas how he got the explosion technique?" asked Asuma. "It was the same sort that Naruto uses."

"… I have a guess," said Kakashi slowly.

"Ne, Ita-kun… can I end this?" asked Mai, using the same dead tone of voice as her clone had.

Itachi ignored her.

"Kakashi… your skill with that eye is impressive… but you do not have the body to properly support it," said Itachi. "You must tire easily."

_He's right about that_, thought Kakashi. _I don't know how much longer I can keep this up._

"However…" said Itachi, closing his eyes, "in acknowledgment of your ability to use that eye… I shall show you the Sharingan's… the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai's… true power." Itachi opened his eyes, and Kakashi saw his Sharingan beginning to morph.

"This is…" Kakashi's eyes had gone wide with horror. "Asuma, Kurenai, don't look into his eyes!"

So urgent was Kakashi's tone that the two slammed their eyes shut immediately, while Kakashi closed his normal eye, keeping only his Sharingan open.

"Don't open your eyes," said Kakashi. "If you see his eyes right now, you're dead." The two gulped slightly. "Only a person with the Sharingan can deal with his technique right now."

"It's true that having the Sharingan may let you resist this a little," said Itachi. "But you will not be able to deal with this Mangekyō technique. Only a true Sharingan user, someone who truly shares my Kekkei Genkai, can defeat me."

"Ita-kun…"

Mai's soft tone gave Itachi pause.

"Don't… Ita-kun," said Mai, the bloodlust fading from her eyes. She closed them. "Mai-chan… won't let Ita-kun do that… Ita-kun's eyes… Ita-kun's body… Ita-kun's chakra… it is unnecessary for Ita-kun to be strained like that."

"Mai…"

Mai's eyes opened. To Kakashi's shock, he was staring into another pair of Sharingan eyes.

"I-impossible," he said. "Mai… you possess the Sharingan?" Asuma and Kurenai gasped in shock, nearly opening their eyes to see for themselves.

Mai's eyes morphed, the three mitsu tomoe in each eye distorting into lines, twisting and fusing into a pair of interwoven stars, ten-point double pentagrams, and her pupils narrowed into vertical slits with a faint cerulean glow.

"**Tsukuyomi**…"

* * *

Kakashi wasn't sure what happened. He wasn't sure where he was.

One minute, he'd been facing Mai and Itachi, then the next he was… here, wherever "here" was.

He was strapped to a cross; the world around him was all red and black with a blood moon in the sky. Looking down, he saw that the cross he was strapped to was sticking up out of black water.

"This is the world of **Tsukuyomi**," said Mai, appearing before him. "Within this world, skilled users like Ita-kun or those with eyes strong enough to 'brute force' it, can control time and space to their whims. This is an illusion, but the pain, and the torment Kashi-kun feels will be real enough."

The air began to become warmer. Mai reached up and pulled his hitai-ate off, and then suddenly, Kakashi saw through the eyes of dozens more of himself, all close together in a field, all lacking the hitai-ate. There was only a single Mai, holding the hitai-ate of the first Kakashi.

And then, as the air continued to grow steadily a hotter, a drop of water landed on the foreheads of each Kakashi.

"Mai-chan's heard horrific things about water torture," said Mai. "She's been waiting to try them out. And then later, Mai-chan can move on to more conventional methods."

* * *

For three days straight, Mai employed a variety of tortures on Kakashi, ranging from the various forms of water torture to stabbing him to death repeatedly to immolating him in flame. Yet, strangely, she would stop every once in awhile, allowing Kakashi to regain his mental strength.

So when the genjutsu ended, Kakashi was alive, just not in any condition to continue fighting, falling to his knees.

"Kakashi, what happened?" asked Kurenai. "Do you still want us to keep our eyes closed?"

_What…? They act as though…_

"What happened?" echoed Asuma. "You just suddenly collapsed after we heard you say that Mai had a Sharingan."

_So… all of that… all three days… was really just a single second? This is the power of the fabled Mangekyō Sharingan…_

"Don't open your eyes yet," said Kakashi, even as he found it difficult to speak. Physically, he was untouched, but he remembered all of it—all the pain and mental anguish, all the torture Mai inflicted on him. He supposed he should be grateful she'd been that gentle—he didn't want to imagine the potential terror her broken psyche could unleash if she really wanted to.

"Why… why didn't you kill me?" asked Kakashi.

Neither of them answered him.

"What… do you have to do with Naruto? I know… that you're after the Kyūbi sealed inside him… but why are Naruto's cloaks the same as yours… no… not just that… the way you use your clones… that explosion technique…"

Itachi continued to stare at him. Mai swayed slightly, an odd look entering the Sharingan eyes.

"Why… did you two who are supposed to capture Naruto for the Kyūbi sealed within… why did you take him from this village… and train him instead?"

Asuma and Kurenai gasped in shock.

"Hmm?" Mai perked up suddenly, her combative stance dropping and her Sharingan disappearing as her eyes returned to those of a child. "Ah, Kashi-kun knows otōto?"

"Mai…"

"Ne, ne, Ita-kun, maybe Kashi-kun can tell Mai-chan how Naru-otōto is doing, ne, ne?"

Itachi barely suppressed a groan.

"_Mai, what are you doing?"_

"_Itachi, you can handle Sasuke however the **fuck** you like no matter how stupid I think you are going about it, but everything regarding Naruto will be handled **my** way. Or I'll show Sasuke the truth right now."_

She'd carry out that threat, and they both knew it. Itachi decided not to argue with her.

"So… you really are Naruto's teachers… I can hardly believe it…"

"Mai desired a younger sibling to look after," said Itachi. "That is all."

"But… why Naruto? Isn't he one of your targets?"

"You're well-informed. As for why…"

"Naru-otōto has Mai-chan's blood," said Mai. The three jōnin stiffened slightly.

"What?" questioned Kakashi. "What did you say?"

"Uzumaki is Senju and Kazekaika is Senju," said Mai, looking at Kakashi in confusion, as if she didn't understand how he could possibly not know what she meant. "Naru-otōto is Uzumaki and Mai-chan's mama is Kazekaika. Therefore, Naru-otōto and Mai-chan share bloodlines."

"Share… bloodlines?" Kakashi struggled to stand, but wasn't able to do so. Asuma and Kurenai remained quiet. Speaking of bloodlines though… "Mai… why do you have the Sharingan?"

"Because Mai-chan's dad is Uchiha of course!" said Mai cheerfully. "Mai-chan is Senju and Mai-chan is Uchiha! Ah, does Kashi-kun know what that means?" Before Kakashi could speak up, Mai continued. "It means that Mai-chan has the bloodlines of both the older and younger sons! Ne, ne, Ita-kun, that means Mai-chan is a goddess, right, right?"

_It's far too much fun to act like I have delusions of godhood… we need to get away from people so I can act rational again_, thought Mai.

"Older and… younger sons?" questioned Asuma.

"Yes!" said Mai brightly. "The older son inherited the eyes, powerful chakra and spiritual energy, while the younger son inherited the body, powerful will and physical energy. Mai-chan has inherited all of it."

"In other words," said Itachi, deciding to take a measure of pity on the three jōnin and translate Mai's currently insane dialogue, "even the Uchiha Clan cannot properly support the true power of the Sharingan without the body of the Senju Clan. But for Mai, who has the eyes of the Uchiha and the body of the Senju, the true power of the Sharingan is always available."

As the three jōnin wrapped their heads around this information, Mai smiled slightly, her thoughts drifting to how a certain masked man had reacted to her existence as a child of two opposing philosophies… living proof that the Uchiha's Curse of Hatred was faltering and would soon be gone for good…

* * *

**Author's Notes: So there you have it; I'm going to go into more detail on some of this as things progress, and next chapter will show off more of what's been going on, among other things, but I just couldn't reasonably cram it all into one chapter.**

**And please note, I decided awhile ago to more or less ignore later parts of canon (_especially_ those regarding Uchiha Madara and his ridiculous powers; also, stripping the Tsuchikage of his Dust Release, which is game-breakingly powerful and seems to be _non-heritage_; he has plenty of other stuff to make him awesome). How I'm going about that "ignore canon" will also be gone into more next chapter.  
**

**Moving past the revelations, Naruto finally decides to learn the truth about why he was chosen to host the Kyubi. I know the reaction probably seems kind of subdued, but keep in mind that he's had suspicions for awhile, and the impact is less severe than it would be in canon, because in canon the revelations came from the spirits (echoes? Whatever) of his parents, letting him see them directly, rather than hearing it from a "third party" (Kakashi in this case). That said, he does still want time to digest and talk about it before sharing it with the others.  
**

**I did that partially because I did want to have the next arc put some more focus onto Naruto and the Sannin; that, and adding in Sakura/Shino would've put Orochimaru and Kabuto at a HUGE disadvantage in a fight (Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto _and_ one or two more from Team 7? Yeah, like I can justify that not being a total curb-stomp). Another thing is that I didn't want Sakura or Shino to meet with Naruto's "big brother and sister" just yet. There were a few other things as well, but we can get to that stuff later.  
**

**No idea when the next chapter will be out; the current pace suggests soon, but I always lose steam on this stuff sooner or later.  
**

**So, please leave reviews! You never know when I might drop off the face of the Earth, and knowing everyone likes this enough to review (preferably bigger than one-line reviews) helps encourage me to keep working at it! ^_^  
**

* * *

**Jutsu Translations:  
**Takamagahara – High Heaven's Plane  
Tsukuyomi – Moon Reader  
Reiton: Bushikatagi – Soul Release: Samurai Spirit  
Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu – Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique  
Suiton: Suigadan – Water Release: Water Fang Bullet (used by Itachi on Kakashi)  
Suiton: Suijinheki – Water Release: Water Encampment Wall  
Reiton: Kage Shuriken – Soul Release: Shadow Shuriken (used by Mai on Asuma)


	21. Elder Sister Mai

**Another fast update; with luck, these just might continue through to the end of "part I".**

**Anyways, reaction to Mai in the last chapter was surprisingly positive; to be honest, I was really worried about that, but somewhat committed to getting it done, and it seems to have worked out well.  
**

**There was at least one reviewer who brought up a problem, so I'll discuss it now: the end of the last chapter sort of left the implication that Mai was more important than Naruto for the story; I did not mean for that to be the case, but during an edit of the ending I'd accidentally deleted a line explaining it away a little, so I try to correct my writing fumble a little here.  
**

**For those who have enjoyed Mai or been particularly curious about her, this chapter should be a veritable gold mine. For those who don't like her, I apologize.  
**

**Let's move on though, shall we?  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Having successfully diverted attention from wondering why they had taken Naruto from Konoha and simultaneously left the jōnin too stunned to think properly, Itachi and Mai quickly initiated another genjutsu communication.

"_Danzō's given the letter to Homura with all the proper instructions,"_ said Mai. _"It seems that Jiraiya took Naruto from the village just a short while ago, so he won't get the letter until they return."_

"_That should be fine,"_ replied Itachi. _"Though Homura has supported Danzō's policies somewhat through the years, he is an honorable man and will fulfill Hokage-sama's wishes. We should leave soon."_

"_I want to draw this out just a little more,"_ said Mai. _"There's still the matter of my spy; if possible, I'd like to keep my promise to her."_

"_Very well, but only if circumstances allow it; we're not here to immerse ourselves in a war with the village we slaughtered our clansmen to protect."_

"_I know… don't worry… two more people show up or we get lucky… we'll leave as soon as one of those comes to pass."_

"That claim… is absurd," said Kakashi at last shortly after they break the genjutsu communication. Mai pouted.

"Ah, Kashi-kun doesn't believe Mai-chan!" whined Mai. "Ne, ne, Kashi-kun, what does Mai-chan have to do? Summon the dead? Shatter the moon? Tell Mai-chan!"

"How could Naruto have come away from that woman with his sanity intact?" muttered Asuma under his breath.

"What?! But… but…" Mai had gotten all teary-eyed, though the effect would of course be lost on Asuma since his eyes were still shut tight. "But Mai-chan loves her Naru-otōto! Asu-kun's saying mean things!"

"Kakashi, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, we would appreciate it if you did not spread this information around," said Itachi, "for Naruto's sake; and I suspect for your own health. Mai would not take kindly to the potential mistreatment exposure of this information could bring."

Well, that was something they could all agree on.

"What I don't understand…" said Kakashi, "is… if you really are a descendant of the founding clans of Konoha… then why have you betrayed us Mai?"

"Ara? Ita-kun, did Mai-chan betray Konoha?" Mai looked at Itachi in a manner that seemed almost fearful. "M-M-Mai-chan d-didn't m-mean it…!"

"You have not betrayed Konoha, Mai," said Itachi, soothingly. It occurred to him as he observed his opponents' reactions that he could understand a little how Mai could enjoy messing with people like this. "You merely did the village a service by removing an… infection."

"Itachi, you manipulative bastard!" shouted Asuma.

"Mai chose to involve herself in that incident," said Itachi. "I have merely done what I must to keep Mai from falling apart completely."

"Butterfly!" squealed Mai suddenly, rushing off after the bug in question.

"Like she hasn't already," muttered Kurenai.

"Mai is not so far gone as she may seem," said Itachi simply. "The power she holds has only ever warped her perception. Never Mai herself; she holds me as the center of her world and will follow me anywhere. It is not within my power to stop her."

"From someone who slaughtered his own clansmen…" muttered Kakashi, "it seems… like there are some things you still care about besides power."

Itachi said nothing. For the three jōnin, the silence was enough to confirm that he did, on some level, care about Mai.

"So what were you looking for?" questioned Kakashi. "Were you planning to finish what you started four years ago? Or just to let Mai see Naruto? Or was it time for your organization to capture him?"

"Sasuke is irrelevant," said Itachi. "I spared him on a whim; destroying the Uchiha was a worthy test of myself, and leaving one or two children alive so that clan might be restored did not seem unreasonable. Who would be chosen for that was ultimately irrelevant."

"I don't even know what to think of you," said Kakashi. "I guess… the only way to look at it would be to say… that you're even more messed up in the head than Mai is."

Whatever reply might of come from Itachi was cut off by a massive wave of killing intent; the force of it was so great that Asuma and Kurenai opened their eyes as they turned along with Kakashi and Itachi to the source.

All playfulness was gone from Mai's eyes, but rather than the rampaging bloodlust from earlier, Mai was giving Kakashi a glare filled with rage.

"What… did… Kashi-kun… say?" growled Mai, stepping towards them slowly and deliberately. "No one… may insult… Ita-kun…"

Another ethereal warrior shot forth from Mai's body, wielding a massive blade. Asuma and Kurenai were preparing to defend the weakened Kakashi when a green object blurred between them and Mai's spirit warrior.

"**Konoha Gōriki Senpū**!" shouted the figure, delivering a kick to the spirit that actually sent it flying, disintegrating in seconds. The figure landed on the water, assuming a combat stance as he faced down Mai.

"Gai-kun…" said Mai lowly, her voice filled with anger. "Don't interfere."

Anyone else might've been sent running by that; Gai was not one of them.

"Gai, watch out," said Asuma. "She has the Sharingan!"

"Is that right?" said Gai. "Heh… then I guess it's a good thing I'm here, since I've been working on fighting the Sharingan. You'll have to judge your opponent by keeping your eyes on their feet and not looking at their face at all; I'll leave Itachi to you two. Let me deal with Mai."

As Gai spoke, a series of ethereal shuriken shot from Mai towards Gai. He responded by tossing an equal number of his own shuriken, all infused with chakra, allowing them to deflect Mai's spirit shuriken.

"There is no way to defeat Reiton in a drawn-out fight," said Gai. "I'm the only one who can keep that from happening."

"Be careful," said Kurenai.

"Of course!" said Gai, shooting forward as Mai unleashed three more spirit warriors at him. Gai successfully batted away all of them with his chakra-infused blows, appearing next to Mai in an instant and lashing out.

And for the first time since the fighting began, Mai was forced to move, ducking down to dodge the blow, and then bringing her leg around in a kick towards Gai's stomach. The taijutsu master twisted his body, allowing him to bring his hands down on Mai's leg and push off, gaining distance between them.

"**Konoha Gōriki Senpū**!" cried Gai again, vanishing and lashing out so fast that even Itachi and Kakashi couldn't track it with their Sharingan.

However, the power of Mai's eyes surpassed even Itachi's, and her skill with taijutsu was so great that she could even match Gai, deflecting his leg with such finesse that she didn't even feel any strain from doing so, then lashing out with a two-fingered strike at Gai's right bicep. Gai twisted his body, coming around in another kick, and Mai leaned back, letting the attack go right over her before throwing her body backwards, bringing her feet up in a kick aimed directly at Gai's face.

Gai blocked the attack with his arm, instead turning it into momentum to push away from Mai, landing on his feet and rushing forward while Mai was still in the air, delivering a devastating hay maker to her back… only for Mai to flicker out of existence.

_Smack!_

Everyone blinked. When Mai reappeared a second after flickering out of existence, rather than strike with anything particularly devastating, she'd gone and _slapped_ Gai. The absurdity of it stunned everyone… except for the two insane combatants of course.

"Hah!" cried Gai, punching at Mai. Her hand caught his wrist, but she lacked the raw strength to actually stop Gai; however, Mai was well aware of that, so instead of trying to stop him directly, she twisted his arm so that his own momentum would catch him in her grip while also causing his strike to miss completely. With Gai locked in place, Mai proceeded to bring her knee up to strike him right in the most unfair place of all; fortunately for Gai, he managed to bring his own leg up to catch Mai's.

Both combatants now balanced on one foot, Mai sent another two-finger strike at Gai, aimed at his neck this time, only for Gai to catch it and forcefully lock her arm in the same way she'd done to him.

Mai responded by slamming her forehead into Gai's, and for the first time in many years, the taijutsu master regretted wearing his hitai-ate on his belt instead of his forehead, as it would've been very helpful to have when Mai's hitai-ate slammed into his forehead, the jagged cut meaning the blow also left a bunch of small cuts at the point of impact..

The blow finally left Gai momentarily stunned, and Mai proceeded to hit him with her head again with even more force, releasing her grip on him and causing Gai to go flying back. However, Gai managed to recover, bringing himself back to his feet, ignoring the damage to his head as he faced Mai down, a satisfied smirk adorning his features as he finally faced a real challenge in his arena of specialty.

As for Mai…

"This is fun, Gai-kun!" she giggled. "Mai-chan hasn't had to dance in a _looonngg_ time!"

To the observers, it seemed that the two were enjoying this far too much, and not taking it with enough seriousness. Though, it _was_ perhaps the most impressive taijutsu battle any of them had ever seen.

"Then get ready!" said Gai. "Because it's time for me to–"

"Ah, Mito-chan, Mito-chan!"

Everyone froze.

"Mai…" came Mito's voice, thick with hatred. Slowly, everyone turned towards the source to see Mito standing a little downstream of them, her tantō held in her hand, eyes locked on Mai, filled with a pure hatred beyond anything any of them had ever seen.

"Mito-chan! Hi!" said Mai, suddenly disappearing, only to reappear fifteen feet away from where she'd been… hugging Mito from behind. "Mai-chan missed Mito-chan!"

"Argh!" growled Mito, flipping her tantō into a reverse grip and stabbing it at Mai's stomach. Mai vanished in an instant, too fast for Kakashi to track with his Sharingan, reappearing a few feet from Itachi, pouting as she stared at Mito.

"Aah, Mito-chan, why? Why is Mito-chan being mean to Mai-chan?"

"You damn well know why you bitch!" screamed Mito, rushing through hand seals. "**Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu**!"

A massive fireball in the shape of a dragon head blasted forth from Mito's position at Mai, creating a wake of steam as it evaporated the water under it. The response of the other jōnin, realizing Mito was royally pissed off, was for Gai to flash over to Kakashi, grab him, and run for it with Asuma and Kurenai a second behind him, but Itachi and Mai barely showed any reaction.

The attack hit Mai head on, creating a massive cloud of smoke and steam. But when it cleared, Mai was still standing there completely unharmed… and surrounded by what seemed to be a cage of ethereal feathers.

"**Reiton: Shugotenshi**," said Mai cheerfully. "Mai-chan's _faavvvorite_ Reiton." Then, she started pouting again. "Ne, Mito-chan, was Mai-chan bad? Mai-chan didn't mean to make Mito-chan angry."

"Mai… it would seem this is getting out of hand," said Itachi. "It's time for us to leave; we did not come here to start a war."

"But Mai-chan finally got to see Mito-chan again!" whined Mai, glancing back. Her eyes shifted into the Mangekyō Sharingan, but only Itachi was willing to look into her face; as a result, he was the only one who saw as her left eye morphed further, a new shape appearing in it, looking not unlike a deformed shuriken. Mai turned back to face Mito, who stared into Mai's eyes without fear. For a second, she thought she saw an unusual pattern in them, but then, her eyes were back to the normal cerulean without even the Sharingan present.

"Mai, unless we have business left here, we should really be on our way," said Itachi. "It seems the target is no longer here."

"Okay Ita-kun, Mai-chan guesses there's nothing left," said Mai. "Besides, Mai-chan wants to see Naru-otōto."

"What?! Naruto?!" gasped Mito, but Itachi and Mai had vanished in an instant. "Damn it!"

Mito would've tried taking off in pursuit, but at that moment, Kakashi collapsed.

* * *

"So Naruto, could you tell me a little about those marvelous dragons of yours?" said Jiraiya as the two walked down the road.

"Sure," said Naruto with a shrug. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, for one, how in the world did you manage to sign the contract?" asked Jiraiya. "The azure dragons haven't been seen in centuries. They were thought to be just a legend."

"Nē-san acquired all of the Four Symbols contracts," said Naruto with a slight smile. "She had a fondness for the dragons though, so she signed the contract with them, and I wanted to be like her, so when she showed me the contracts, she let me pick which one I wanted to sign."

"I see," said Jiraiya, grinning. "What was your nē-san like anyways? Did she have beauty to match her power?"

"Beauty enough to make the most stoic man turn into a lech that could shame you," said Naruto, voice perfectly deadpan. "And the power to chew up an entire country and spit it out when she got bored."

Jiraiya was being left behind, he'd paused, a lecherous expression on his face, drooling slightly and with a faint nose bleed as he envisioned what sort of woman Naruto might refer to.

"Well, actually, she's the fattest, ugliest entity I've had the displeasure to lay eyes on, but still quite strong," said Naruto, rubbing his chin slightly. Somehow, he'd timed it _just_ perfectly that the image got put into Jiraiya's mind, and the perverted hermit screamed in terror as he tried to claw his eyes and brain out of his skull.

"My eyes! My brain! My poor _braaaaaain_!"

Naruto grinned as he continued on his way, wondering how long it would take Jiraiya to catch up with him.

"You… evil… little brat…" moaned Jiraiya, twitching on the ground.

The "evil little brat" just kept walking.

* * *

"What do you mean you knew she had the Sharingan?" Asuma demanded of Mito as the jōnin were placing Kakashi in a hospital bed.

"Mai was Itachi's accomplice in the Uchiha Massacre," said Mito. "It was obvious she had the Sharingan, whether by acquiring it there or because she was related to the clan."

"She claimed relation to both the Uchiha and the Senju," said Kurenai. "Do you know if that's true?"

"I know that the Kazekaika Clan was one of two clans to have been off-shoots of the Senju," said Mito. "They were the second, much smaller and much more recent one, but most of them died in the Third War. There were only three survivors: Kazekaika Asami and her twin daughters, Miyu and Mai. Asami was murdered right in front of them by that Kumo nin that tried to capture Hyūga Hinata, and Miyu died on a mission a few years later after she donated her eyes to Mai when her twin became blind. I'm sure you must've known something about Miyu's strength; they said she was the strongest ninja of her generation, surpassing even Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, with potential that may have surpassed the Kiiroi Senkō, to the point it was thought she might be chosen to be groomed as the next Hokage. No one questioned letting her continue missions without eyes, particularly as she'd proven that becoming blind had hardly hampered her at all."

"And after Miyu's death, Mai was taken in by the Uchiha," said Gai as Kurenai helped him bandage his bleeding forehead.

"It's no wonder the girl went off the deep end," said Asuma. "Though it's a surprise that she really would be Itachi's accomplice. Are you really that sure of it?"

"I'm sure," said Mito. "Not only that, but I'm even sure that it was Mai, personally, who killed Mikoto. It's something I can never forgive."

* * *

"No more attempts at lecherous thoughts about nē-san, and I'll continue telling you about the dragons. Do you agree to this deal?"

"Yes," said Jiraiya. "After all, there are plenty of beautiful women in this world."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, just leave the important ones in my life out of it," said Naruto. "So, here's how it goes; the Four Symbols contracts are very different from regular ones. I'm not completely sure of the workings of the other three, but the basics are common to all of them. Overall, the difference from regular summoning contracts is a series of rules."

"Rule number one: the contract is eternally binding. You put your blood on that contract, you're stuck with it until the end of time. There is no breaking under any circumstance, and you carry it through death."

"Rule number two: you have to prove yourself worthy. How tends to vary from contract to contract, but in each case, you can't just summon them up in the middle of everything; you do that and they'll just sit back eating popcorn while you get the shit beaten out of you. Once you've proven yourself worthy of a given summon, you're free to call out anything weaker than that. I'm worthy up to a guy named Takumi, he's a little older and stronger than Kikyō, but Kikyō's my partner and the one I always call on first in desperate times."

"Rule number three, and this one is _very_ important: you don't kill a beast of the Four Symbols. Period, end of story, no way. When I fought the Ichibi, he recognized Kikyō, and didn't say anything about killing, but specifically said that he'd enjoy _fighting_ her. He knew the danger."

"What's the danger?"

"If you kill a beast of the Four Symbols, then all others of their kind will know immediately: who you are, when you did it, where you did it, who you did it to, and even _why_ you did it. But motivation doesn't matter; you kill a Four Symbols, then they _will_ hunt you down and when they find you… well, let's just say that a fate worse than death is merciful by comparison. No one's killed a Four Symbols beast in a long, _long_ time because of that."

"Interesting; anything else?"

"Hmm, nothing of particular note regarding the Four Symbols as a whole," said Naruto. "As far as the azure dragons, _well_… their primarily wind masters, but they also have some limited ability to manipulate wood, like a weaker version of the Mokuton. And they have some ability with water; I used to think that only Kasumi could do that, but Kikyō told me during the battle that they all can, it's just that Kasumi is the only one particularly interested."

"Kasumi… that was the one who brought all of you back, right? And I recall you saying that Kikyō was twins with that one you left in the village, Isamu."

"Yeah, that's right," said Naruto. "Kasumi was the one to be born next. They're all pretty young, but as you've probably figured out, they're still as strong as a summon boss. They get exponentially more powerful as they go up—presumably, the summon bosses of the Four Symbols are each powerful enough to take on all nine of the bijū at once, but the only person even implied to have ever been worthy of summoning them was the Rikudō Sennin. Nē-san's worthiness only goes up to Katsumi, though her partner is his immediate younger sister, Kazahana, who is supposedly able to take down any of the bijū one-on-one except the Kyūbi. Of course, that's never been _tested_, but it gives an idea of what the Four Symbols are like."

"It's a powerful set of contracts," agreed Jiraiya. "So, any other regulars besides the twins and Kasumi?"

"Fuyuki; he's one of the older ones, not quite an elder, but fairly close," said Naruto. "He's actually only about as strong Kasumi though; he's of a different type from the usual summons. He's a lot smaller and faster, so I primarily summon him for transportation. He's actually the one who got my team through the Second Exam so fast."

"Yeah, you put in a record that no one's gonna be beating any time soon," said Jiraiya, grinning. "You're quite strong for a 'mere' rookie."

"Heh… well, like I've said before, I had a lot of help… and frankly, I cheated as well."

"Yes, there's a lot to love about **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**," agreed Jiraiya cheerfully.

"Just as long as you don't use it too much," said Naruto. "Nē-san told me that there comes a point where the effect it has on you becomes too much for it to remain viable, which is why I try not to use it in especially high numbers these days. Nii-san also taught me that it's better to fight smarter, not stronger, which is part of why we focused on drilling common sense into my overly thick skull instead of teaching me ten thousand ninjutsu."

Jiraiya chuckled a bit.

"Probably for the best," said Jiraiya. "Personally, I think it's more useful to know a thousand uses for a single jutsu than to know a thousand jutsu with a single use." Naruto chuckled at that.

"Although, speaking of ninjutsu, there's one in particular I want to teach you," said Jiraiya.

"Oh?"

"It's one of the signature techniques of your father," said Jiraiya. Naruto went silent at that. "It's called **Rasengan**, a very powerful A-rank ninjutsu that can be used very quickly and very efficiently. It's sort of like a hand-held version of your **Hakai Chikyū**."

"That right? Huh… that's strange…"

"You've got a lot of both your parents in you Naruto," said Jiraiya, smiling down at the boy. "There should be plenty of time for us to talk and train during this trip. I should warn you, though, it took your dad three years to develop this technique, and it took me and Kakashi a year to learn it ourselves. You might want to use shadow clones."

"No," said Naruto, shaking his head. "I prefer not to use shadow clones except for certain things at this point; I don't know if there's some kind of limit where all that accumulated knowledge fries your brain, and frankly, I _don't_ want to find out. So, if there is a limit, I'd rather save it for emergencies."

"Fair enough," said Jiraiya. "I did hear you made heavy use of the clones early on with your team."

"Only early on; quick expansion of skills mostly," said Naruto. "Also, mastering my chakra nature affinity quicker. Besides, I like the idea of being good enough to learn without relying on the clones."

* * *

"Shikamaru, have you seen Kakashi or team seven anywhere?" asked Sasuke. The two were the roof of one of Konoha's taller buildings, with Shikamaru looking up at the clouds as usual. Shikamaru shrugged.

"I haven't," he said. "Why?"

"Asuma wanted me to start training with Kakashi in a new ninjutsu," said Sasuke, shrugging slightly as he sat down cross-legged. "He mentioned it when he was helping me prepare for the exams; he said it was only possible for those with the Sharingan." Sasuke looked at his hand. "Really… I'd like something more powerful so that I could perform better. But I haven't been able to find Kakashi since he sent me off to find info on Raiton; I was waiting for him at the training grounds for awhile when I realized it would be best to ask someone from team seven."

"Makes sense," said Shikamaru. "Speaking of the exams, how are you doing?"

"The doctors think I've recovered fully," said Sasuke. "They did suggest I shouldn't strain myself too much, but that's part of why I thought I'd focus on training; it's something where I can set the pace personally and call it quits if it gets too much, unlike a mission."

"Yeah," said Shikamaru. "If you can't find Asuma-sensei to ask him or anyone from team seven, you should check with Ino or Hinata-san; they both like Naruto, so I'd expect them to be able to tell you more. You'll probably find Ino at Yamanaka Hana, and Hinata will probably be at the hospital visiting Neji or the Hyūga Compound. My advice would be to check with Ino first."

Sasuke nodded, standing up.

"Thanks, Shikamaru."

* * *

"Mito, how much do you know about Mai?" asked Kurenai as the four jōnin stared at their unconscious comrade. Mito sighed slightly.

"A lot," she said. "Mikoto was always very proud of Mai. She said Mai was the daughter she'd always wanted; she was proud of her sons, but felt that a mother should also have a daughter to relate to and teach, so she was more than happy to take in her son's teammate when Mai had nowhere else to go."

"I don't know much about Mai," said Asuma. "I was with the Twelve Guardians during her early years as a ninja."

"I didn't hear much outside of my team," added Kurenai. "Gai?"

"Some things," said Gai. "For one thing, she was quite the failure as a student."

"Wait, really?" asked Kurenai in surprise. Mito and Gai both nodded.

"Yes," said Mito. "She graduated the academy at only six years old, but it was pretty much entirely on the merits of Itachi and her twin sister Miyu. They wound up dragging her along with them as they graduated very early, hailed as prodigies of the highest level. She could never really catch up to them; eventually, things improved for her somewhat, but then she suffered damage to her eyes during a mission from taking too many risks when she was seven. Miyu gave up her own eyes so that Mai could see again."

"About six months after that, the mission they were on suddenly became far more dangerous," said Gai, picking up the explanation. "They encountered some dangerous nukenin. Their sensei, Arata Rin, was killed; Miyu killed two of their assailants, but another snuck up on her by taking advantage of her blindness. What exactly happened afterwards isn't entirely certain; they said that Mai couldn't remember it, and Itachi was too terrified by what he saw to speak of it, but all of the enemy ninja were slaughtered. Mai had already started to lose her mind by that point, presumably because she couldn't stand living in the shadow of her sister. And then, to lose that sister…"

"Mikoto said it drove her almost completely over the edge, but she held on," said Mito softly. "She became very attached to her new family, especially Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. She created an entirely new chakra transformation when she was nine, showing it off at her chūnin exam and getting promoted along with Itachi. Three years later, she became a jōnin when it became evident she couldn't properly work with anyone but Itachi or Shisui, but was powerful enough by then to be sent out on high-ranking missions and fulfill the objectives well."

"That's an accurate summary," said Gai. "I'm impressed; you didn't even join our ranks until after the Uchiha Massacre. I'd never even heard of you before then."

Mito shrugged.

"It surprised Hokage-sama too," she said. "I was a friend of Mikoto and… another woman, who died in the Kyūbi attack. I mostly worked on growing strong alone, regularly visiting Konoha, but… well, after I heard what happened, I came here myself. When I learned that Mai was Itachi's probable accomplice in the massacre, I began to try and figure out why they'd do it based on what I knew of them. That's part of why I believe it was Mai who killed Mikoto; because in Mai's twisted mind, that would probably be merciful, and Mikoto was practically her mother."

Grim silence followed that statement.

* * *

Sasuke panted as he walked up to the front desk of the hospital after running all the way there from Yamanaka Hana.

"Excuse me," he said. "I was looking for another visitor. Yamanaka Ino?"

"Ah, yes, she just got here a few minutes ago," said the woman at the desk. "She was visiting Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino in Room 132."

"Wait, Sakura and Shino?! Why are they here?"

Sasuke could hardly believe what he'd heard.

"Not sure," said the woman. "Um, if you want, feel free to…"

Sasuke had already rushed off to the room in question. When he got there a minute later, he barely refrained from slamming open the door.

Ino was in the room, standing next to Sakura's bed.

"What happened?"

"They don't know," said Ino, shaking her head slightly. "I was with them at the main gate when we were seeing off Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama for some kind of mission, and the next time anyone saw them was when a couple of kids found them collapsed in the streets. I only just heard about it a little while ago."

"What the hell?" muttered Sasuke. "That doesn't make any sense; what on earth could've happened?"

"I don't know," said Ino, shaking her head again. "But I heard that Kakashi-sensei got hurt as well, and is in room 147 just down the hall."

"I'll go check on him," said Sasuke. "Maybe they know more over there."

He walked out of the room and headed down the hall.

* * *

"Do you have any idea why they were after Naruto?" asked Mito; her initial concern had been alleviated heavily by the knowledge that Naruto was under the personal protection of Jiraiya.

"Actually… somewhat," said Kurenai.

"From what Kakashi was saying, they're part of an organization that wants the Kyūbi," said Asuma. "But it seems there were more personal reasons as well."

"Whatever the case, it seems they hadn't found Naruto," said Gai.

"Yeah… but there's something I find odd about that," said Asuma, idly pushing a cigarette out of his pack, though he was forbidden from smoking them in the hospital of course. "Naruto doesn't go out of his way for attention now the way he did a few years ago, but he's still pretty easy to find, they know his face, and they were in the village for a while before we confronted them. So that begs the question: what else were they up to?"

The group fell silent, partially because no one had an answer, and partially because they could hear footsteps approaching.

The door slid open, and Sasuke stood in the doorway. He was surprised to see all of them there, but figured with all of them they were more likely to know something. He looked over and saw Kakashi in the bed; he looked uninjured.

"What happened to Kakashi?" asked Sasuke, stepping into the room. "Is it the same thing that happened to Sakura and Shino?"

"Wait, something happened to Sakura and Shino?" questioned Asuma as all of the jōnins' eyes widened in shock at the implications.

"Y-yeah. They were found unconscious in the street a little while ago. I just found out myself." Sasuke looked back to Kakashi. "What happened to Kakashi? It might be the same thing."

Before any of those in the room could answer, someone else rushed into the doorway from the hall.

"Is it true that Itachi's come back to the village?" questioned the newcomer, tokubetsu jōnin Yamashiro Aoba. "And that he's after Naruto?"

It was only when he was done talking that Aoba noticed just who was in the room. Gai face-palmed.

"Idiot…"

Sasuke turned to face Aoba, his eyes widening in shock. Briefly, he looked back to Kakashi.

He remembered now… he remembered being in a similar condition to what Kakashi was in now… physically unharmed… but brutally beaten in the mind. Kakashi's state… and that of Shino and Sakura…

No sounds came from Sasuke's lips as he shouldered Aoba aside, rushing out of the room and down the hall.

"Wait, Sasuke!" he heard Mito call after him, but he just kept running.

_Itachi… this time… this time you've gone too far! Do whatever the hell you want to me, but leave my friends out of this!_

Remembering what Ino had said about Naruto, Sasuke headed immediately for the village gates.

* * *

"Geez… that Ero-sennin… what a disgrace."

These were the words Naruto used to express his opinion of Jiraiya after the self-proclaimed super pervert was drawn off by an attractive woman who stopped outside the inn Jiraiya had decided to stay at and given a flirtatious wink in their direction. Whatever self-control the perverted sage had was lost instantly; he then sent Naruto off to their room with a book Jiraiya had written called Dokonjō Ninden.

Initially, Naruto had planned to brush it off after reading a page or two, assuming it was just some trashy relative of his Icha Icha series.

And then he caught sight of the writing inside the front cover.

_For Namikaze Minato, my favorite student._

_~ Jiraiya._

After that, Naruto had decided to give it a shot. To his surprise, it was actually quite enjoyable so far, though he was quick to realize why it hadn't sold that well: Jiraiya's writing style was still kind of rough, but more to the point, it seemed that the narrative was fairly optimistic early on. Given that the ninja world could never really be considered stable until after the Third War, it had probably been seen as too idealistic by a lot of people.

That was kind of disappointing; maybe Naruto should talk to Jiraiya about cleaning up the rough early writing some more and trying to put it on the market again. He wondered if he should ask Jiraiya to change the protagonist's name in that situation.

Well, he'd decide that if it came to it, and once he'd finished the book. Regardless of all that, Naruto now understood why Jiraiya had given the book to him.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Hmm? Did the old hentai get dumped already?" questioned Naruto, placing a few bills in the book as a makeshift bookmark before getting up to walk over the door as another knock was heard. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez."

Naruto unlocked the door and pulled it open. However, it wasn't Jiraiya he saw on the other side. His eyes widened in shock, and his face broke out in a grin.

"Itachi-nii, Mai-nē!" he said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a bit of a long story," said Mai, pushing the door open a little so she could see Naruto better. She smiled down at him. "How's my otōto doing?"

"Great overall! I even got to learn who my parents are just earlier today! But… well, there's that stuff ojiisan."

"I'm sorry about that," said Mai. "I kind of feel responsible for it; we had a chance to kill that rotten snake a few years ago, but we let him get away."

"Mai, we don't have much time," said Itachi.

"Right, sorry," said Mai, stepping forward while Itachi stepped back. "We kind of used genjutsu to get that woman to flirt with Jiraiya and distract him for awhile. I feel pretty guilty about it to be perfectly honest, but I wanted to see you without him getting in my way."

"I'm not sure how to feel about that," said Naruto. He shook his head, stepping forward and hugging Mai. "It's great to see you again, nē-san."

Mai smiled down at him, leaning down a little and wrapping her arms around Naruto.

"I missed you too, otōto," she said softly. "I'm sorry I can't be around more."

"It's okay… I know why…" Naruto tightened the hug just a little. "Nē-san… ojiisan told me about the massacre… did you really…?"

"Yes," said Mai softly. He could hear the tears in her voice as she squeezed him a little tighter. "They were my family. I loved them. But… but I couldn't let it happen. The future isn't set in stone, but I knew that the clan would be wiped out if they didn't give up on their plans… it was just a question of if they'd take Konoha and the world down with them. So I…"

"I understand," said Naruto, laying his head on her shoulder.

"Thank you."

"Mai…" said Itachi.

"Yes." Mai broke the hug, looking at her little brother with all the love one would expect from a sister who couldn't be there as much as she wanted to be. "Naruto, when you get back to the village, there's a letter from Hokage-sama waiting for you; it details how to find the legacy your parents' left behind for you. And I need you to promise me something: look after your friends, okay? Especially Sasuke."

"I will; that's a promise," said Naruto. Mai nodded, tears at the corners of her eyes. She reached up, pulling up his hitai-ate, and kissed his forehead.

"Make me proud, otōto," she said softly. But then, sensing a presence nearly upon them, Mai pulled the hitai-ate back into place, quickly backing away from Naruto. "Otōto… Naruto… I'm sorry for what's about to happen. Please play along."

Naruto was confused… until Sasuke rounded the corner, eyes blazing with anger as he glared at Itachi. Mai's head was tilted forward slightly and her side was to Sasuke, hiding her face from him.

"It's been a long time, Sasuke," said Itachi coolly. Naruto winced, suddenly realizing why Mai had apologized and asked him to play along.

"Uchiha… Itachi…" growled Sasuke, Sharingan eyes blazing. "I don't care… I don't care what you do to me… but leave my friends out of it!"

"Foolish little brother… you believe yourself that important?" said Itachi. "You're not even worth our time. We came for Naruto-kun."

"Naruto, run!" shouted Sasuke as he suddenly ran forward. "This guy…!"

At that moment, Mai turned her head to face Sasuke, hair falling away from her face to reveal it to Sasuke.

In that instant, Sasuke froze, eyes widening in shock… and horror…

"N-n-no way…" stuttered Sasuke, taking a fearful step back. Mai turned to face him more fully, her expression one of sorrow as she faced Sasuke.

"Hello Sasuke."

"Mai… nē… san…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I think I actually managed a halfway decent cliffhanger there.**

**Anyways, this chapter relates a _lot_ about Mai's past, though nothing in real detail. I also show that something happened to Sakura and Shino, but you'll have to wait a while to find out what. Because I'm a bitch like that.  
**

**I also relate some more information about the Azure Dragon Summons, so I hope you all appreciated that.  
**

**I really enjoyed Naruto's reunion with Mai, so I hope you all did as well. Writing her brief fight with Gai was really fun to, because his way of fighting makes him one of the few characters currently in the story who can actually challenge Mai. And then there was what Naruto did to Jiraiya.  
**

**Next chapter, I have a surprise for all of you. You can look forward to it, though it might be just a tad weird.  
**

**Please leave a review! I probably won't update for awhile, both because I seem to finally be losing steam and having a hard time writing, and because I really do need to try and focus on some other stuff for at least a little while.  
**

* * *

**Jutsu Translations:  
**Konoha Gōriki Senpū – Leaf Strong Whirlwind  
Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique  
Reiton: Shugotenshi – Soul Release: Guardian Angel  
Rasengan – Spiraling Sphere


	22. Sasuke

**I hereby declare that, henceforth, I shall always operate under the belief that I will take awhile to write the next chapter of this fic.**

**I seem to operate faster that way. ^_^  
**

**Anyways, I was saddened by the somewhat lower review count for the last chapter; it kind of depresses me, because it makes me worry that I failed to leave a good impression on the readers, but I try to cheer myself up by guessing that it's due to being too busy to be able to review. Still, it's always encouraging to hear good reviews from the readers.  
**

**Though, on the bright side, I'm really glad that people like Mai. To be honest, I was terrified of making her into a "Creator's Pet" that no one liked while I'd already made long-term plans that require she stick around. So I'm very happy that no one is really bothered by her.  
**

**On a sidenote: this chapter was destined to be a fast update, because plain and simple, this is one of those moments I have been_ shaking_ in anticipation of writing. It is the moment where I spit canon in the face. With a spike explosive ball. "Spat" from the main guns of the retired battleship _Iowa_.  
**

**Also, did a _slight_ edit to the last chapter regarding Itachi and Mai's deceased sensei. I paused at some point and realized it was too good an opportunity to pass up.  
**

**I shall say no more, just read on!  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

"_Nii-san; can you help me out with my shuriken training today after school?" asked an eight-year-old Sasuke, looking at the thirteen-year-old Itachi as he prepared to leave the house._

"_I'm busy," said Itachi. "Ask father."_

"_But he said that you're better with shurikens…" said Sasuke, a somewhat annoyed expression on his face, "and I think that too. You always treat me like I'm a nuisance brother."_

_Itachi turned to face Sasuke more fully, and waved him closer. Though caught by surprise, Sasuke did as requested… and got a two finger poke in the forehead from Itachi for his troubles._

"_Ouch…"_

"_Forgive me Sasuke," said Itachi, "maybe another time." Itachi stood up. "I have no time to help you today."_

"_You shouldn't say that Itachi," interjected a new voice. The brothers turned to see the girl both thought of as a sister standing there. She smiled at them. "You should always make time for family; you never know when you might lose them."_

"_Mai-nēsan," said Sasuke in surprise, turning towards her. Mai continued to smile and walked up to Sasuke, kneeling down to give him a quick peck on the forehead where Itachi had poked him._

"_Tell you what Sasuke," she said. "Since Itachi won't make the time to help you out, I will, okay?"_

_Though he was disappointed that his brother wouldn't be the one to help him, his sister's offer still seemed to be a wonderful one to Sasuke._

"_Yeah! Thanks, Mai-nēsan."_

* * *

"_Mai-nēsan, does nii-san not care about me?"_

"_Of course he cares Sasuke; he just has a hard time expressing it. You don't need to worry about that; you're loved, Sasuke, never forget that. Your mother, your father, your brother… me. We all love you, and we'll always be there for you."_

* * *

Sasuke had thought he was ready for anything. Whatever Itachi threw at him, Sasuke was ready to face it if it meant protecting his friend.

But he hadn't been ready for this. Nothing could've ever prepared him for this.

"Mai-nēsan…" repeated Sasuke, trembling in disbelief as he took another step back, shaking his head in denial. "This can't be… you're dead… you died back then!"

Mai tilted her head slightly in apparent confusion before glancing at Itachi.

"You told him that you killed me?" she questioned. Itachi only continued to stare at Sasuke, and Mai sighed, shaking her head as she looked back to the first of her little brothers.

"I'm still here Sasuke," said Mai. "I'm still alive."

"Why…? WHY?!" screamed Sasuke. "Why are you here?! How can you stand next to him knowing what he did and…!"

"Did you really think Itachi could kill the entire Uchiha Clan on his own?" questioned Mai softly, head tilting down in apparent shame, hair falling in her face again and hiding her eyes. "Sasuke… after everything that happened to me… after Shisui's death… Itachi was all that I had left. I'm a weak woman who clings to her past; when Itachi decided to do what he did, there wasn't any choice for me. I would help him, because he was the most important thing in the world to me."

"He's the one who killed Shisui!" screamed Sasuke. Naruto stared at the scene unfolding before him in apparent shock, never knowing before of Mai's relationship with Sasuke.

"That doesn't matter," said Mai. "Itachi knew what it would mean when he killed Shisui. He knew that with Shisui out of the way, I would be his. And he was right; if Itachi asked me to turn a sword on myself, I would do so without hesitation."

"Mai," said Itachi, "there is no need to tell my foolish otōto things such as this. He is insignificant; we should return to our mission."

"I suppose so," said Mai, shaking her head.

"Naruto-kun, you're coming with us," said Itachi. Playing out his part, Naruto took a step back as though concerned.

Itachi's words snapped Sasuke back to reality, and he went charging forward.

"Run!" shouted Sasuke, forming hand seals as fast as he could. "**Katon: Karyū Endan**!"

"**Reiton: Tamashii Shōgai**," said Mai softly, not moving at all. A barrier of ethereal feathers formed between herself and the attack, and when the fire dragon slammed into the barrier, the feathers broke apart, wrapping around the dragon and forming their barrier around it, containing all of its heat and destructive power as the feathers tightened their grip, squeezing the flames out of existence. Then, almost as an afterthought, the feathers flew apart and quashed the fires on the walls caused by the intense heat from Sasuke's attack.

"Sasuke, you really shouldn't involve others in your quarrels," said Mai idly.

"Shut up!" roared Sasuke, still rushing forward, with tears in his eyes from his shock and fury over the discovery of Mai's betrayal with Itachi. He'd drawn a kunai in his right hand once he realized his attack had been stopped cold, and stabbed it forward at Itachi.

Itachi didn't even look directly at Sasuke as he caught his younger brother's attack by the wrist… and then, to Naruto's shock, snapped his wrist.

_Damn it, this is too much_, thought Naruto as Sasuke let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees, clutching his broken wrist. _I have to do something, even if this is all just an act! That's going too far, Itachi-nii!_

Naruto drew Eldhi-Arc and attempted to swing it at Itachi to strike him with the flat of the blade.

Then, to Naruto's shock, his attack was stopped cold by an ethereal sword that had emerged from Mai's body. The rest of the warrior followed seconds later.

"Eldhi-Arc was created using Soul natured chakra," said Mai. "Many of its unique properties were derived from my Reiton; but despite that, it has never been able to consume my Reiton chakra. In that respect, it is no different from the Samehada that inspired me to create it."

Those words didn't seem to really register in Sasuke's mind—all that registered was that Naruto had attempted to attack and been stopped cold.

"Naruto, run!" shouted Sasuke, forcing himself to his feet and lashing out at Itachi with his left arm. Itachi kicked Sasuke with enough force to send his little brother flying down the hall.

It was then that Naruto began to realize just how massive the difference between himself and his teachers really was. In sparring, it had seemed like he could actually do something to them—but it seemed like they'd always been holding back. He'd always thought of them as two of the strongest ninja he knew, but he'd never seen it in any real action before.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" shouted Sasuke, forcing himself to his feet. "Run!"

Realizing that Sasuke would continue to fight until Naruto had escaped, the blond began to back away, looking around for an escape route… but two more ethereal warriors emerged from Mai's body and barred every escape route.

Unable to use hand seals, Sasuke once again charged forward armed only with his fist. Itachi easily deflected Sasuke's attack, then put one arm up against Sasuke's body and pushed out, throwing him down the hall once again.

_Th-that's…_

"No way…" choked Sasuke, forcing himself to his feet with sheer force of will. He remembered a similar defense being employed against his charges months ago. "Itachi… you… Naruto…"

"Sasuke…" muttered Naruto.

The words spoken by Mai earlier finally registered with Sasuke, and everything clicked into place.

"You… bastard…" muttered Sasuke, not sure who he was really angry with. "You two… you're the ones who taught Naruto…"

No one said anything. Sasuke merely took that as confirmation.

"Does he even know what the hell you did?!" screamed Sasuke. Itachi began to walk forward.

"Mai desired a younger sibling to look after," said Itachi, repeating the words he'd spoken to Kakashi earlier. "She wanted you, but circumstances would not allow it, so she chose him." Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the front of the shirt with one hand, lifting him into the air and slamming him against the wall. "He did not learn of our actions until his return to Konoha, and then was too ashamed of us to admit it to anyone."

"So what, is this some kind of reunion?!" shouted Sasuke in Itachi's face, staring into Itachi's eyes without fear. "You're saying that you manipulated Naruto by playing on his desire to have a family, and then turn around and put his teacher and best friends into a coma?!"

"What?!" gasped Naruto, looking at Mai. She shrugged.

"It's not what it sounds like," she said softly. "Kakashi's the only one who really took any sort of damage, and it shouldn't take more than a week for him to recover. I was gentle, more than Itachi would've been anyways."

"In spite of her desires, Mai does as I wish," said Itachi. "Our organization has ordered us to take Naruto-kun into custody, and we shall do so now."

Itachi stared at Sasuke before leaning in to whisper his next words into Sasuke's ears.

"You cannot kill me because you have forgotten my instructions," he said. "You lack hatred… your compassion has led you to this moment… you've stopped running and clinging to life…"

"Fuck you."

Itachi pulled his head back, staring into Sasuke's eyes with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Let me teach you that lesson once again."

* * *

Sasuke found himself in a world he remembered all too well. He didn't know what the world was, but he knew what could be done within it.

He remembered it all too well.

He stood in his house. Ahead of him, his mother and father were on their knees, with the figure of Itachi standing over them. The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stood up as he felt Itachi's presence behind him as well.

"You are weak," said Itachi. "For the next seventy-two hours you will wander around hopelessly within that day."

And the massacre began to play out before his eyes once again.

_It's just an illusion! What he's showing me may have happened, but __**this**__ isn't real!_ Sasuke screamed at himself. _He's used Mai-nēsan like a puppet, manipulated Naruto's desire for a family, attacked the people closest to Naruto and now wants to take him hostage for some organization twisted enough to accept him as a member! I can't fail here!_

"FUCK…"

* * *

"… YOU!" screamed Sasuke, suddenly finding himself back in the real world after only watching the massacre play out twice. What he did next was pure instinct, slamming his head into Itachi's, hitai-ate crashing into each other. Itachi, stunned by the backlash of the impossible feat Sasuke had just achieved, stumbled back, releasing Sasuke, and falling to his knees as Sasuke hit the floor.

"He broke **Tsukuyomi**?" muttered Mai in shock, eyes wide with disbelief. "But that shouldn't be possible without the Mangekyō except for a jinchūriki unless…"

Realizing Itachi was stunned, Sasuke saw his opportunity—everything could be fixed if he just killed Itachi. Naruto would be safe, Mai wouldn't be a victim (what would happen from there Sasuke didn't know), and this whole thing would be brought to an end.

Sasuke grabbed a kunai and pushed himself forward to stab it at his stunned brother… only to be suddenly slammed into the wall by Mai, who snapped his left wrist the same as Itachi had already done to his right.

"Sorry Sasuke, but I can't let you hurt Itachi," said Mai softly, pressing her hitai-ate against Sasuke's. "I'm surprised; the only person to ever break through Itachi's **Tsukuyomi** was me, and then only because of my eyes. You managed to break through it with sheer willpower…" She smiled. "I'm proud of you for being able to do that."

"Mai-nēsan… please… don't do this… stop helping him…"

"I can't Sasuke," said Mai, smiling sadly as her Mangekyō Sharingan formed, the bizarre pattern catching Sasuke completely off-guard. "Itachi is all I have left."

* * *

Sasuke again found himself in the illusionary world, this time at the entrance to the Uchiha Compound. The twelve-year-old Mai was standing next to him, and he realized that he seemed to be the same height as her.

"You may have broken free of Itachi's **Tsukuyomi**, but you won't be able to do so with mine," said Mai. "Itachi may be more talented with genjutsu, but my eyes are much more powerful than his and my body more capable of utilizing them. As such, this technique is even stronger for me than it is for Itachi."

"What are you…?"

"For the time being, you'll relive the massacre… through Itachi's eyes and body. You will feel it as you swing the sword that cuts into their flesh, as you throw the blades that pierce their bodies. This time, _you'll_ be the one doing the killing."

Sasuke lost control of his body, realizing for the first time that it was actually Itachi's body and that's why he was as tall as Mai. He began to attack, screaming at everyone to run, but they didn't hear his cries, only the cold words Mai forced him to speak as Itachi.

He went through this three times before Mai suddenly brought it to a stop, and he was seeing the world through two sets of eyes.

"Now… be me as I help Itachi wipe out the Uchiha Clan…"

Sasuke screamed at people to run, and he cursed Mai for forcing him through this.

After five cycles, the game changed again—now, Sasuke was feeling everyone's pain as Itachi and Mai ruthlessly cut them down.

"Fuck off!" screamed Sasuke, at the end of the second such cycle, his body numb from the pain of the people he was seeing himself cut into.

Mai responded by changing the game again—Sasuke guessed it had been a full day by now. What Mai changed though, caught Sasuke completely off-guard, and he thought she might've finally found a way to break him completely.

He was now there—not his eight-year-old self, but the Sasuke of today. And it wasn't just him; Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chōji, all of his friends were there. But that was only a part of it.

More of them began to appear, of varying ages, wandering around the Uchiha Compound as Sasuke watched from above through Itachi's eyes. He was quick to discern a pattern in their groupings.

Naruto was always with Sakura and Ino, entertaining the two girls in some fashion. It was all innocence and childish play at eight, but grew more romantic in nature as it progressed, until the "present day" group had Sakura and Ino giving Naruto a peck on each cheek, their bodies pressed close together in a way that made it clear they were all going out.

Shikamaru was always with Chōji, sometimes lying on roofs watching clouds, sometimes playing shōgi with a member of the Uchiha Clan as Chōji watched on, some sort of food always in his hands.

Kiba and Shino were also always together—sometimes apparently training, other times playing various games or racing, almost always with some tracker element in it.

Beyond all the others though, what shocked him most of all was seeing himself with Hinata always at his side. Their eight-year-old selves were holding hands and occasionally smiling at each other shyly, and it just grew from there as they got older, culminating in their twelve-year-old selves in an alley with Hinata leaning into Sasuke and kissing him for all she was worth.

And then Sasuke-as-Itachi jumped into the happy scene of the Uchiha Compound and began to shatter all of it relentlessly in the cruelest ways possible.

Sasuke only went through that cycle once before Itachi was suddenly one of those happily passing time in the compound with Mai at his side. Wondering what was going on, Sasuke looked himself over.

It took him all of two seconds to realize he was now an older version of himself.

And then he charged in and ruined everything even more ruthlessly than he had as Itachi.

Sasuke lost track of how many cycles Mai forced him to live that way, but eventually, it came to an abrupt halt.

Instead, Sasuke had full control of himself and was standing in the middle of a long street of the Uchiha Compound. He was surrounded by his friends, all of them glaring at him with hatred, and down the street stood Itachi and Mai.

"_I loved you Sasuke!_" screamed the illusionary Hinata. "_I loved you and you betrayed me! You betrayed me and everyone I'd ever cared about!_"

"Wait, no, that's not…!"

Hinata ignored him, turning and walking down the street to Itachi and Mai.

"_You're trash, Sasuke-san,_" said Naruto. "_I can't believe I was ever stupid enough to think we could be friends._"

"What the hell did I do?" questioned Sasuke as Naruto turned and followed after Hinata.

"_It's a good thing Naruto came along,_" said Sakura. "_I don't want to even imagine what sort of twisted thing I would've become if Naruto hadn't shown me how despicable you really are._"

"_Yeah!_" said Ino. "_I despise you! I feel like I've been violated just for having a crush on you at one time!_"

The two girls turned and left together. Sasuke remained silent.

More angry cries, more statements of resentment. He pieced together that within the illusion, he'd performed some grand betrayal, but he could only guess at what it might be.

Once they were all gone and standing next to Itachi and Mai with their backs turned to him, Sasuke fixed his gaze on the Mai down the street.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded. "Why are you showing me these things?"

"Because even though I follow Itachi, even though I will allow no harm to come to him, I do not want you to end up the way he did," said Mai, walking away from the others and towards him. "I've shown you what it is to do what Itachi has done, to be what Itachi has become. You know now the pain of cutting down your own clansmen, no matter how much you detach yourself from it because you know it's an illusion. I imagine Itachi must've felt the same way even though he did it. And I am showing you what it means to be like him." She came to a stop in front of him and brushed some hair from his eyes, causing him to realize he wasn't wearing a hitai-ate. He looked down at himself, and was shocked to realize he was wearing clothes similar to that bastard Orochimaru, with a sword sheathed at his waist.

Mai leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead the way she always would in the past.

"Itachi means everything to me, but I still care about you Sasuke," said Mai softly. "And Naruto too; he's as much my brother as you and Itachi are, maybe even more so."

Suddenly, the scene changed. Sasuke saw himself relentlessly murdering people left and right, proclaiming his hatred of Konoha to Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, madness shining in his eyes, covered in blood. He saw himself murder a woman who healed him moments ago for the sake of convenience. He saw himself twist into some unrecognizable monster, and he screamed in terror.

He then found himself standing on a bridge, back in his own body and clothes, facing an older version of himself wearing the clothes from before, an insane glint in his eyes, standing atop a mountain of corpses.

"_This is real power,_" said the illusory Sasuke. "_This is what's waiting for you._"

"Shut up," said Sasuke. "It's not worth it! I'll never become you!"

The world shifted again. He found himself on his knees back at the Uchiha Compound, his friends all around him. Naruto smiled at him and stepped forward, offering him a hand up.

"Let's go, Sasuke-san," he said. "It's time to wake up. You can't hide in dreams or cower in nightmares forever."

Sasuke stared at Naruto's hand… and then, slowly, he reached out and accepted the helping hand, silently vowing to never lose sight of what he had waiting for him.

* * *

Sasuke found himself back in the hotel, pinned to the wall by Mai. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before his mental exhaustion caught up with him and his eyes slipped closed, falling unconscious. Mai let out a small sigh, lowering Sasuke to the ground almost gently.

"I win… Itachi…" murmured Mai so softly that even Itachi's sharp ears didn't catch it.

She'd always known that Sasuke was someone with a great deal of potential. But she'd also known that there were many branching paths he could take, and many that she would have to stop him from taking.

Her **Tsukuyomi** had been more about testing him than about disabling him. She'd been ready to take it to the highest level to keep him away from those darker paths, but it wasn't necessary.

Sasuke was strong, and he would be stronger for this encounter. After making sure Sasuke would be fine, she stood up, turning slowly to face the figure that suddenly appeared and destroyed her spirit warriors.

"How long have you been watching, Ero-sennin?" asked Mai lightly, reaching down to help Itachi to his feet.

"Long enough," said Jiraiya, glaring down the hallway at them. He stood next to Naruto, and the woman they'd used the genjutsu on earlier was lying unconscious against the wall behind him. "Both of you are disgraces. To think you were once called the best and brightest of Konoha."

"Oh? I guess opinion of me must've improved," said Mai, staring down the hallway along with Itachi. "As I recall, I was a dropout whose only talent was unusually large chakra reserves and who never improved until I realized that I could use **Kage Bunshin** to exploit those same reserves for training."

"Eh?" said Naruto dumbly, hardly believing any of that could've been true. But if it was, then it made sense in a way; that would explain why Mai had chosen him.

"All things considered, I'm surprised to know it was you who came up with it," said Jiraiya.

"Oh, I wasn't," said Mai, smirking thinly. "If you want to thank anyone for the idea, you can thank Kakashi; it was his idea originally, just not anymore."

"What?" Even Jiraiya was caught off-guard and left confused by that statement.

"Mai, it's time for us to leave," said Itachi.

"Yes," agreed Mai, flipping some hair back idly. "Naruto, stay safe and grow strong. I'm counting on you to look after my otōto, Ero-sennin…"

Mai trailed off as Jiraiya rushed through seals and slammed his hands down on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari**!" cried Jiraiya. An odd-looking pink matter began to grow from the walls, leaving Naruto stunned. Itachi and Mai looked unimpressed. "You two are out of luck; it was a mistake trying to take Naruto while he was under my protection. I've summoned the esophagus of a giant toad from Mount Myōboku's Rock Lodging. No one's ever escaped from this before."

"First time for everything, Ero-sennin," said Mai before the two rushed away down the hall and out of sight.

"It's useless!" said Jiraiya before using his control over the esophagus to send the walls closing in on the two.

The S-class ninja rushed towards one of the visible windows, neither really caring about Jiraiya's claims.

"None of my jutsu with the Mangekyō will be able to break through this," warned Mai as the two approached the window.

"**Amaterasu**!"

"I was afraid of that…"

When the sound of an explosion reached Jiraiya and Naruto, the two rushed forward to investigate, turning the corner to find a massive hole in the wall with black flames licking at the edges of it.

"They're gone…" murmured Naruto softly. Jiraiya glanced at him before walking forward slowly.

"Black fire?" he muttered. "What kind of jutsu is this…?"

* * *

"You got carried away, Mai," said Itachi as the two fled down a river. "You've exposed our ties with Naruto to at least five people, possibly more."

"It's better for them to learn it under these circumstances, where they believe we were manipulating Naruto and won't hold him responsible," said Mai. "More importantly, how are you doing? You used **Tsukuyomi** and **Amaterasu** within moments of each other."

"I'm fine."

"If you say so; anyways, Sasuke's grown a lot. He threw off your genjutsu with sheer force of will, and his highest priority is the protection of his friends."

"The village should always come first."

"Hypocrite; if you really believed that, Sasuke wouldn't be alive right now. Neither would a lot of other people. Anyways, I think this at least proves my point about Naruto."

Itachi said nothing.

"I was right to choose him; I was worried that our similarities may have influenced my decision, but I'm glad I really was right, and not just about him possessing the same will as Shisui. Naruto will change the world for the better; he has the power to convince others that he's right, and he believes in this world."

"Yes…" said Itachi. The two came to a stop as Mai bit her thumb to draw a little blood that she smeared on her left arm. "I suppose you're right; that's why I agreed to this. How long to the time you said you would be leaving?"

"A few more months I think," said Mai, performing hand seals. "It's hard to pin down for sure. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**."

Chakra smoke exploded out from the point Mai placed her hand on the surface of the water, and when it cleared, a small, thirty foot long azure dragon stood before them.

"Sayuri," said Mai, looking up at the dragon. "Itachi and I need to reach the sea in short order; due east of here, and keep a low-profile, okay?"

"**Yes, Mai,**" said Sayuri, lowering her body slightly so they could get on. Once they were on, she took off for the east, flying low so as not to draw attention. Mai smiled softly; Sayuri always was one of her favorites. She looked back at Itachi.

"As for Sasuke, I got a good look at him. He's turning out well. He'll be ready to lead the Uchiha Clan out of the darkness in a few years." Mai turned forward again. "And he'll be able to do so… without your eyes."

"Mai…"

"I told you that we'll do it your way when it comes to Sasuke," said Mai. "When the time comes, I will be there to ensure no one interferes and that _he_ doesn't get his hands on Sasuke. I'll make sure Sasuke has your eyes if he needs them. But don't for an instant think that I've given up on trying to convince you to do things my way. You're as stubborn as your father; he wouldn't listen to me either when I tried to dissuade him."

Itachi said nothing to that.

* * *

After Jiraiya sealed away the black fire and dismissed the summoning, he and Naruto went to check up on Sasuke. Jiraiya shook his head.

"I'm not an expert when it comes to this sort of stuff," said Jiraiya. "Genjutsu can cause some massive psychological damage."

"It was Mai-nē who did it," said Naruto softly. "I don't think she'd allow it to be that bad."

"Naruto, whatever those two may have done for you, they're still two of the most dangerous nukenin that ever lived," said Jiraiya sternly. "They're part of an organization that is after the Kyūbi, and they destroyed one of Konoha's most powerful clans. I don't know why they'd do that stuff for you, but if I had to guess, it was only to manip–"

"I know that!" said Naruto. "I know that they're organization is after me, I know what they did to the Uchiha Clan and I realize that I don't know why they took me in! Why the _hell_ do you think I never told anyone about them?! But don't you _dare_ think that just because you know what they did that you know them better than I do! If it were Itachi-nii who did it, you'd probably be right, but Mai-nē and Itachi-nii are different; they work differently, they fight differently and they have different motivations! Speaking of which, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention the fact that Mai-nē isn't completely insane, because people thinking she is happens to be about the only hope she has!"

"Hope for what?" demanded Jiraiya. "Naruto, you need to get those damn ideals out of your head and face reality. You…"

"Is that what happens to the Naruto in the book?" said Naruto calmly. _That_ shut Jiraiya up. "Maybe I am a naïve fool for believing the best in people. But you know what? If this world really is as bad as you claim, I might as well throw myself on Eldhi-Arc and leave it all behind! But I won't. I won't give up; my parents, my teachers, the Hokage… I have a legacy to live up to and I will not run away from it. If this world is as bad as you say it is, then I'll continue to grow until I'm strong enough that the world will listen to me and people will follow me as I try to make it a better place. Do. You. Understand?"

Staring at Naruto for a moment in shock, Jiraiya slowly nodded.

_I'll have to think about that while we're traveling_, he thought. _Maybe he's right; maybe I have lost sight of what I was fighting for. I wonder if losing so many students on top of everything else with Tsunade and Orochimaru has really cost me that much…_

At that moment, a kunai flew down the hall and landed in the wall, causing both Jiraiya and Naruto to instinctively look at it.

"Dynamic Entry!" shouted a voice behind them. They turned… just in time to see Maito Gai slam foot-first into Jiraiya's face, a broad grin on his face… that suddenly turned to one of surprise when he realized who he'd just kicked in the face. Behind him, Naruto saw Mito facepalming.

"Gai… you're too much…" she muttered, walking forward to take a look at Jiraiya. Leaving them to it, Naruto went over to pick up the woman who'd lured Jiraiya away earlier and carried her back down the hall, settling her against the wall next to Sasuke. By the time he was done, Jiraiya was standing, using tissues to staunch the bleeding from his busted nose, and receiving an explanation/apology from Gai.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" demanded Jiraiya irritably when Gai was finished.

"Well… I'm not very good with words, so…"

"Mito-san, why are you here?" asked Naruto, looking back and forth between Mito and Gai.

"We were looking after Kakashi when Sasuke showed up, wondering what had happened," said Mito. She grit her teeth. "That bitch Mai attacked Kakashi with a powerful genjutsu using the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Sasuke thought Shino and Sakura may have suffered the same attack. Then Aoba rushed in and blurted Itachi's name in front of him, and Sasuke took off. We followed him, though Asuma and Kurenai didn't think it was necessary."

Everyone looked down at Sasuke's unconscious form.

"It seems like we were too late to do anything but take him back to the hospital," said Mito softly. "What kind of damage did he take?"

"Itachi broke his right wrist," said Naruto. "Sasuke-san broke free of Itachi's **Tsukuyomi** and was about to kill him when Mai slammed him into the wall and broke his left wrist. Then she used her own **Tsukuyomi**, which knocked him out."

"It's the same technique that was used on Kakashi," said Gai softly.

"We should take him back to the hospital," said Mito. "Jiraiya-sama, is it really safe for you and Naruto to be out of the village right now? I know you're strong, but both Itachi and Mai may be too much."

"We don't have a choice," said Jiraiya. "We're looking for Tsunade; she's to become the new Hokage, if we can convince her. Depending on the damage done, we might need her expertise. It's best to move in small numbers."

"Then please allow me to come with you," said Mito. "I know I'm not as strong as your pursuers are, but I may be able to assist on some level."

Jiraiya considered it; adding Mito wouldn't be that much and she could be a valuable asset. Then again, with Konoha's current state, the village probably couldn't afford to spare her.

"No," said Jiraiya. "I don't think we'll have a run-in with those two again for awhile, and the village can't spare you, especially if Kakashi's out of action right now."

"Okay," said Mito. She glanced at Naruto before looking back to Jiraiya. "But you better keep him safe."

"I will; you just focus on looking after Sasuke."

* * *

One minute, Sakura and Shino were walking down the road, wondering what they were going to be doing while Naruto was away with Jiraiya… and the next, she was waking up in the hospital with her mother and Ino standing over her, both looking rather depressed.

"Why am I staring at a hospital ceiling?" were the first words out of Sakura's mouth. A squeal of excitement, and Ino crashed into Sakura, lifting her up and hugging her tight enough to squeeze the life out of lesser girls. "Ooph!"

"You're awake!" cried Yuko in relief.

"Yeah, yeah, now what happened? Last thing I remember is talking to Shino after Naruto left."

"That is all I remember as well," said Shino from the bed next to Sakura's, sitting up. He looked around, and Sakura found herself blinking slightly along with Hinata.

_Wait, Shino actually has eyes?_

Shino grabbed his sunglasses and put them back on. Ah, back to normal.

"You were found unconscious in the streets a little while ago," said Yuko. "No one's sure what happened."

"A few people thought it might be the same thing that hit Kakashi-sensei," said Ino.

"Wait, something happened to Kakashi-sensei?" cried Sakura, sitting up suddenly, throwing Ino off of her in the process.

"Yeah, not sure what, but…"

"He was hit by a powerful genjutsu," interjected a new voice. They looked over to see Mito standing in the doorway. She jerked her head slightly. "Follow me."

No one questioned her, merely doing as ordered as she led them to Kakashi's room. When they stepped inside, they were shocked to see Sasuke lying in a bed as well.

"What happened to Sasuke-kun?!" cried Ino.

"The same thing that happened to Kakashi," said Mito, "except that he got both wrists broken as well. It was a pair of nukenin from our village hunting down Naruto. They were Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi, and Itachi's teammate, Kazekaika Mai."

"Jiraiya-sama fended them off," said Gai. "But not before Sasuke reached them and ended up like this."

"The psychological damage is less than what Kakashi suffered though," said Kurenai. "Neither of them took too much; as insane as she may be, it seems Mai is still gentle about some things."

"Psychological damage?" questioned Sakura. Kurenai nodded.

"I've never seen a genjutsu powerful enough to inflict this kind of damage," she said softly. "It seems like you two didn't suffer the same; we can be grateful for that."

"At the same time, I doubt it's a coincidence that you two were found collapsed like that," said Asuma. Yuko was shaking as she grasped the implications of what was being said. "What are those two really up to?"

* * *

After waking up the woman who'd been used as a lure for Jiraiya, making sure she was okay, explaining what had happened and giving their apologies for her unintended involvement, Naruto and Jiraiya fled the town just in case anyone else showed up to cause a ruckus. No point in inflicting more property damage than what had been done to the inn when Itachi and Mai blasted their way out of Jiraiya's trap.

Personally, Naruto suspected Jiraiya was also fleeing so he wouldn't be forced to pay for the damages. If so, Naruto wasn't going to call him out on it, as he had some idea of how much damages from ninja combat could add up.

"So, was this book the reason for my name?" asked Naruto as he and Jiraiya walked down the road, Naruto again covering his head with the straw hat.

"Yes," said Jiraiya. "I pointed out to your parents that it would technically make me your godfather, but for some stupid reason they thought I'd be a _great_ godfather. Teacher, yes; but godfather? Well, obviously not. A pair of insane criminals did a better job raising you than I did."

"I wondered about that; you've been gone for a long time though. Does it have anything to do with Orochimaru?"

"Eh, we were best friends when we were younger, even though we'd deny it all the time," said Jiraiya. "His betrayal… it cut pretty deep. I began working as a spy to try and track him down or at least monitor his movements. That happened… shortly after you were born. I'd been planning to take you in, but then got dedicated to taking down Orochimaru."

"Well, I seem to have turned out okay," said Naruto. "It could always be worse."

"I suppose so. Not shocked that I'm your godfather and a failure at it?"

"Not much left to surprise me until the dead start coming back or the Kyūbi turns out to be a woman who is completely innocent of all the things it's done in the last few centuries."

"Hah! We should be so lucky," said Jiraiya. He looked around; it was getting late, so he figured they should go ahead and setup a camp. "Let's stop here. We'll continue tomorrow, and I'll see about getting the supplies for your training with the **Rasengan**."

"Speaking of that, Mai-nēsan said that ojiisan had written a later and it was waiting for me when we got back to the village, and that it would tell me how to find my parents' legacy."

"Oh? It seems she was planning to let you go from the start. How… interesting. But that could be useful; well, I'll teach you the **Rasengan** for the time being, and we'll see what happens when we get back."

Naruto nodded slightly, removing his hat as the two looked around for a good place to setup camp.

"By the way… why do you still wear those cloaks?" asked Jiraiya. "They're practically identical to the ones worn by Itachi and Mai…"

"I know," said Naruto. "That's why I wear them. To everyone else, they may be traitors to Konoha, but to me, they're still just Itachi-nii and Mai-nē. I still look up to them, even if they've taken a path in life that I never will. That's all there is to it."

Jiraiya had nothing to say to that, instead looking up at the stars and wondering if maybe Naruto could be the one to change the world.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did everyone think? I was always disappointed with the way that, canonically, Sasuke went from being ready to die to save his friends (demonstrated against Haku, Orochimaru and most especially Gaara) to being single-mindedly fixated on killing Itachi the moment he heard his brother's name.**

**Well, let's be blunt, even though Itachi is one of my favorite characters, I rather disliked the direction canon started to take from the point of his introduction, both because it's where the Uchiha plot tumor really began, and because it was shortly after this that it started to resemble frikkin' Dragonball Z. I did not come to read/watch that series; if that's what I wanted, I would be reading/watching that series instead of reading/watching Naruto.  
**

**Anyways, something to note is that, _no_, I'm _not_ saying this will include Sasuke x Hinata. It was one possibility that came to me, and I've definitely had fun teasing a possible relationship, but neither actually has romantic feelings for the other just yet, _and_ there's always the possibility of someone else coming in (for some reason, as I typed that, I thought "Sasuke x Tenten").  
**

**I also show off Naruto's tendency to win over people with words, which hasn't gotten enough showing in this fic. Plus, there's his unwavering faith in others.  
**

**Then there's what _Mai_ does to Sasuke. Brr; watching the massacre over and over again would be horrible enough _without_ all the extra stuff Mai put in. She may have been testing him, and Sasuke may forgive her, but _damn_ is that being unnecessarily cruel about it. I'm not gonna lie about that: Mai may be nicer than Itachi, but both are examples of "good is not nice".  
**

**Alright, so, I'm having a bit of trouble writing the festival for the next chapter, and again with the needing to focus on other stories, so I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. Given that I'm due to trip up, it may be awhile, but whether or not it is, _please_ review this story! Maileesaeya is begging you on hands and knees!  
**

* * *

Tsukuyomi – Moon Reader  
Amaterasu – [that which] Illuminates Heaven  
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet  
Reiton: Tamashii Shōgai – Soul Release: Spirit Barrier  
Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari – Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind


	23. The Bet

**To Anonymous Reviewer Firesoul4TW**: It's up to each individual's own interpretation whether or not a character is a Mary Sue. However, I should point out a few things: Mai is the woman who used shadow clones in the fashion Naruto did for training and who taught Naruto to use Substitution whenever he got hit to give the illusion that it was just a clone and avoid taking damage himself, which is exactly what she did the one time Gai seemed to land a hit. Furthermore, she had her Sharingan active when she fought Gai, and Mai is a Kage-level shinobi, so it's actually a tribute to Gai's ability that he could use pure taijutsu to force her to use something _besides_ ninjutsu.

Regarding Mai having a superior Mangekyō Sharingan to Itachi, there are _two_ reasons for that: one is that she has a body better capable of supporting it, essentially possessing the missing piece of the Sharingan through her Senju blood (there's never any indication that not being a "full-blooded" Uchiha gives you a weaker Sharingan); two is that, if I haven't made this obvious enough, Mai possesses an _Eternal_ Mangekyō Sharingan from her sister giving up her eyes after Mai overused the Mangekyō and rendered herself blind. It only makes sense that her eyes would be more powerful than Itachi's.**  
**

* * *

**Gah! I can't get myself to _stop_ writing this! My muse is running overtime on it, and it's actually kind of driving me insane!**

**Although, I suppose it kind of makes sense; there's a _lot_ I can do with what's left of Part I for me to tackle, and some of the ideas I've had for this arc in the last twenty-four hours _alone_ have got me eager to get through it.  
**

**So at this point, I don't even _know_ what rate updates on this will come out, or when I might be able to get back to my other stories. Guess I'll have to wait and see.  
**

**Oh, and please, reserve judgment for anything that rubs you wrong until you've finished the whole thing, as I might have an explanation for it down the line.  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Two days after their departure from Konoha, Naruto and Jiraiya stood on the edge of Nokoma, a city filling an entire crater that, according to various legends, was created by the Kyūbi in the time before the founding of the shinobi villages.

"I've never been to a place like this," remarked Naruto, looking down into the village. Jiraiya smiled.

"There are quite a few gambling places here, so I thought it might be a good place to start our search," he said. "Furthermore, there's a festival going on; enjoying yourself is important too, so we'll take advantage of that while we're gathering information and training."

"I see."

"We'll go enjoy the festival first," continued Jiraiya as the two headed down into the city. "Afterwards, I'll show you the first step of training for the **Rasengan**, but it's realistically best for you to figure the overall technique on your own. While you do that, I'll see if I can find any information on Tsunade."

"Maybe I should have a clone go with you and make sure you don't get distracted…"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing."

The two reached the festival, glancing around. Naruto smiled slightly under his hat.

_This should be fun…_

* * *

"So, what _now_?" asked Sakura as she and Shino sparred at Training Ground 7. Naruto was off with Jiraiya looking for Tsunade, Kakashi still had woken only briefly from the genjutsu attack he'd suffered, Sasuke was still out cold, and there was no clear single leader of the village at the moment, with Homura and Koharu grappling with a man named Danzō for control of assignments to their forces and the rebuilding.

Although Konoha had taken only minimal damage, it was important that they not show weakness—there was no guarantee they could fight off two invasions back-to-back. Higher-level missions were more frequent than usual and lower-level ones were largely focused on the reconstruction, with only a handful of the usual chores still going.

At the moment though, Team Kakashi was effectively out of commission, with their commander hospitalized and their strongest member abroad on a mission of the utmost importance. That left Sakura and Shino sitting reserve, with more free time on their hands than they'd had since… well, since they'd started at the Academy.

It had not taken long for boredom to set in.

"We wait," said Shino. "We train. Naruto will grow stronger under Jiraiya-sama; we must do all that is within our power to keep up so that we shall never be a burden, just as Naruto would never desire to be a burden on us."

Sakura nodded, glancing briefly at where their clones were working on independent training. There was only so much to be done, but they'd do it.

Refocusing on Shino, Sakura sent a two-fingered strike at his arm, which he barely managed to deflect. With the addition of her chakra-enhanced strength, Sakura's taijutsu was now even more dangerous than Naruto's despite his higher level of skill. Though there had been little cause for either to use the Mirāken during the course of the Chūnin Exams, it was actually a perfect compliment to the devastating strength she now possessed—_especially_ since using that strength still exhausted her very quickly, as it required a level of chakra control she could barely pull off as it was. Two of her clones were doing all kinds of crazy chakra control exercises for that express purpose.

Combined with the Mirāken though, Sakura would be able to disable opponents without even scratching them… or shattered bones with the slightest touch.

Besides that, Sakura was working to improve her ability to work with her water element. An expanded repertoire of Suiton ninjutsu couldn't hurt, and she was eager to improve her ability to use **Kirigakure no Jutsu**.

As for Shino, he was working on much the same, improving his taijutsu and his repertoire of Doton ninjutsu. He was also looking into ways to improve his use of the kikaichū to even higher levels, as well as looking to increase his versatility and improve his tracking.

Sakura understood why, too—Sakura was their team's genjutsu expert, as well as the most dangerous of them in taijutsu. Naruto, meanwhile, served as the resident speedster and powerhouse, combined with a truly massive number of ninjutsu for a genin. By contrast, Shino fell short of both in the arena of taijutsu, was slightly behind Sakura in ninjutsu, and slightly behind Naruto in genjutsu. Shocking as it was, Shino may have actually been the weakest member of Team Kakashi.

Part of that was that, despite his ability to produce more clones, Sakura could learn faster than he could, so she got significantly more mileage out of her smaller number of clones.

All of this wasn't to say that Shino wasn't a vital part of their team—he was, no doubt about it. It was simply that he wasn't as much of a frontline combatant as Naruto was and as Sakura had become. His abilities were more suited to playing a support role, and while he was a formidable combatant, he'd been outclassed by both of the others. It was especially strange since Sakura's talents would seem to put her as more the support type as well.

Honestly, she hoped Naruto would be back and that Kakashi would be awake soon. She really wanted to streamline the workings of their team.

Suddenly, the clones all released themselves. Both genin stumbled slightly at the influx, but knew immediately what it was all about. They spun around to see three figures entering the training grounds.

One of them was Gai—his team was currently down two members, and Tenten, who stood at his side, still wasn't exactly in top shape. The third figure was far more shocking.

"Zabuza?" gasped Sakura. The Kiri nukenin grinned slightly.

"Hey brats," he said. "Good to see you've been improving." His eyes focused on the craters Sakura had left.

"Why are you out, Momochi-san?" questioned Shino. It was polite, and there wasn't a hint of alarm—though, of course, with Gai there as well, it seemed unlikely that he'd busted out.

"Ah, youthful students of my rival, Momochi-san assisted our forces during the invasion!" said Gai enthusiastically. Zabuza inched away from Gai as Tenten sighed. "Afterwards, it was judged that we could no longer spare the manpower to keep him captive! After much deliberation, a compromise was reached, under consideration of Sandaime Hokage-sama's decision to place Momochi-san under house arrest and his assistance during the invasion!"

"In other words," said Zabuza, "I was let out, and informed I was free to go as long as I didn't cause trouble, or I could stick around as long as I helped out. I decided to give that second option a try."

"Okay, that explains why you're out," said Sakura, "but it doesn't explain why you're _here_, specifically."

"Well, I heard about your water affinity," said Zabuza. "I decided to start my attempt to be a shinobi of this village by training you, seeing as you and your team are the only reason I was spared. Granted, the only reason I got into this situation in the first place… and Haku's death… but…"

"I'm glad you aren't holding that against us," said Sakura. She shook her head. "Well… funny, I was just thinking I wanted practice with **Kirigakure no Jutsu**."

"Ah… yes, I think I can help with that."

"And I shall remain here to help supervise the training!" said Gai. "And… also, I've been assigned as Momochi-san's parole officer."

"Your council doesn't trust me… not that I really blame them for it."

* * *

The festival had been fun so far—there was a wide variety of food, plenty of games, and lots of people. Though, he was somewhat uncomfortable with the female attention he received whenever he took off the hat.

_Ignore inner pervert desires_, Naruto constantly told himself with a slight shiver. _Failure to do so will be known by Sakura and horrific punishment shall follow, just as you deserve._

Although the festival had been fun, Naruto had set a limit for himself about how much he'd spend, and had already hit that limit. He'd allowed himself to go slightly over in order to get a grilled squid for Jiraiya. He was now looking around, wanting to get it to Jiraiya before it got cold.

It had not taken him long to decide to look for the more… adult attractions of the festival.

From there, it hadn't taken him long to find Jiraiya in a small hostess club with two attractive young women sitting on either side of him, both leaning up against him as Jiraiya laughed and expressed his satisfaction. Naruto felt a tick forming on his forehead.

"Oh, Naruto," said Jiraiya, "did you enjoy all of the festival already?" He then took a sip of sake from the saucer held in his hands. Naruto let out a sigh of frustration, reaching up to pull off his hat with his free hand. To Jiraiya's annoyance, both girls were eyeing the boy intently.

"It's been fun I guess," said Naruto. "I was just wrapping up and coming to look for you. I got you this…" he held up the grilled squid, "but you look like you're enjoying yourself just fine."

Jiraiya chuckled.

"Ah, what did you expect from me?" asked Jiraiya brightly. "I did say that I'd be enjoying the festival too."

"I know… otherwise, I'd be a lot more irritated," said Naruto, walking up to him and offering the squid, which Jiraiya took.

"Oh my, such a nice boy," said the girl on Jiraiya's right, the one with long brown hair.

"You keep fine company, Jiraiya-sama," added the girl on his left with shoulder-length black hair. Jiraiya laughed lightly as Naruto shook his head.

After another sip of sake, Jiraiya reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out some bills.

"Naruto, there's a water balloon stand across the street," he said. "Go purchase a handful—make it a dozen just in case—and then head back to where we came into the city. I'll meet you there in a little while, and show you the first step in your training."

Naruto nodded.

"Understood, Ero-sennin," he said, putting his hat back on before accepting the money. "If you're not there in half an hour though…"

"Alright, alright," said Jiraiya cheerfully. "I'll be there, don't worry!"

* * *

Around half an hour later, Naruto and Jiraiya stood outside the city near the stairs where they'd first entered.

"So what's with the water balloons?" asked Naruto, holding one in his hand.

"This is the first step," said Jiraiya, holding up a water balloon in his own hand. "The **Rasengan** is a technique that involves a lot of rotation—this helps to teach you that." Suddenly, the balloon began to deform, bumps appearing at random across its surface before it suddenly burst.

"So, I have to move the water using only chakra?" questioned Naruto. Jiraiya nodded.

"You're a sharp kid," he said. "Go on, give it a…" Jiraiya trailed off as the balloon began to deform in Naruto's hand, stretching sideways. Naruto frowned, glanced back at Jiraiya's hand, and the balloon returned to normal. Jiraiya was silent as Naruto closed his eyes for a moment… and then Naruto opened them, and the balloon began to deform in the same way as the one Jiraiya had held before popping.

The super pervert had gone slack-jawed in disbelief.

"That was easy…" murmured Naruto, frowning. "Ero-sennin… what's the next step?"

"Ah… power…" said Jiraiya, still disbelieving. "Take a rubber ball that is much thicker than the balloon and without water. Get the same rotation, but apply enough power to pop the ball; it should be about a hundred times harder than this one."

"And is the last step… containment?"

Jiraiya was surprised, nodding in disbelief.

"You've gotta be kidding me," muttered Naruto, looking at his hand. "She _knew_ about this!"

"She?"

"Mai-nēsan," said Naruto. "One of the last things she taught me was about controlling my chakra externally, kind of like the first step, unleashing a massive amount of chakra at a concentrated point, and compressing my chakra down to a small space. Just not all of it at once."

Jiraiya blinked.

"There's no way that's coincidental," said Jiraiya. "Did she tell you why?"

"Just that it would be useful one day… and that she knew that would be the case because of some technique called **Toyotama**…"

"Argh… you'd think she could see the future if not for the fact that the massacre happened and that she was clearly caught off-guard by a few things."

"Like Sasuke-san breaking out of **Tsukuyomi**…" Naruto shook his head. "She probably just somehow learned of it; maybe it's in the Forbidden Scroll, she did have it for years. But whatever the case, no use worrying about it right now." He looked up at Jiraiya and grinned. "I'll go back into town with you and buy some rubber balls you point out, and then come back here to work on it. I'll pay this time, since I'm the one being trained anyway."

"Yeah… sure… really, that woman is just unbelievable…"

* * *

Sasuke woke up to find himself staring at a familiar ceiling. He groaned—he was back in the hospital. Last thing he remembered was coming out of Mai's genjutsu, and then slipping unconscious.

What had happened, and how long was he out for?

"Awake are we?" came a familiar, though somewhat weak, voice. He looked over to see Kakashi lying in another bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Yes," said Sasuke, voice somewhat hoarse. "Kakashi, why are you…?"

"Three days of torture with intermittent breaks. Pain, thirst, horror… it shouldn't come as a surprise that a broken psyche like Mai's could come up with some devastating mental tortures, but I figure she could always have just shown me a taste of her shattered psyche and sent me off in a straitjacket, so it could definitely be worse."

"I see," said Sasuke, looking back to the ceiling. He glanced down at himself and saw that both of his wrists were in braces. He also wondered at what Kakashi meant by "broken psyche", but brushed it off for the moment. "She forced me to live the massacre over and over again."

"That could not have been pleasant."

"She knew how to make it even more unpleasant," said Sasuke. "I still can't believe that she's alive… and it's even harder to believe that Mai-nēsan would've followed Itachi after all of that."

"You were close huh?"

"Hn… she was a better sibling to me than Itachi was…"

"That right? I knew her when she was younger; her sensei, Arata Rin, was my old teammate, so I occasionally saw them."

"Do you know how Sakura and Shino are?" asked Sasuke.

"Awake," said Kakashi. "From what they told me, they woke up right around when you were brought back. They don't know what happened; they were walking down the street, and then they were waking up in the hospital."

"Could Itachi or nē-san have done that?"

"They have genjutsu powerful enough that it might be possible," said Kakashi. "Still, I doubt it. Kurenai doesn't think so, and she's one of Konoha's top genjutsu specialists. Too bad genjutsu is useless against those two."

Sasuke said nothing, thinking instead about everything Mai had shown him and said to him.

In particular, he found his thoughts focusing on the images of himself and his friends she'd added to the massacre. Was there a reason for why she'd done it the way she did? Was there significance, or was she just playing on assumptions?

He really had no clue.

"How long was I out for?"

"Well… you were knocked out the same day as me… I woke up yesterday, and it had been four days. So almost a week. How are you feeling?"

"Sore… exhausted… five days sleep doesn't seem to make up for the stress of three days in that hell…"

"Well… not much to be done now; from what I was told, after you were knocked out, Jiraiya-sama arrived and drove the two of them off."

That was certainly a relief; he'd guessed that if Naruto had been carted off, Kakashi would've mentioned it, but it was nice to have confirmation.

"In the end… I couldn't do anything," said Sasuke. Kakashi chuckled weakly.

"You weren't the only one," he said. "There's no fault to be had in not being able to do anything. Even in her state, Mai was skilled and talented enough to face-off with Gai in taijutsu on even footing, and the two of them utterly annihilated us. It's to be expected of a man who could do what Itachi did four years ago and a woman who was called Reibi no Akurei…"

"Do you know why they were after Naruto?"

"… Yes…" said Kakashi slowly, "but if you want to know yourself, you'll have to ask Naruto. It's not my place to share."

"I understand…"

* * *

The ball popping exercise was indeed significantly more difficult than the water balloon had been—it had taken him three days to before he could combine the principle of rotating chakra randomly with the focused power, but he'd succeeded.

Afterwards, while waiting for Jiraiya, Naruto had practiced at being able to pop the balls quicker, and was so focused on speeding it along that he was actually caught off-guard when Jiraiya did show up.

"You're really something else," said Jiraiya, shaking his head with a fond smile. Naruto grinned up at him.

"I knew a lot of this beforehand," he said. "I did kind of cheat when you get down to it."

"Yes, but even for ninja with the proper training and experience, such a thing as this is quite difficult," said Jiraiya. "Anyways, I did manage to find some information; it seems Tsunade lost a lot of cash here shortly before the festival began and then ran off to Tanzaku-gai."

"Tanzaku-gai… I remember that place," murmured Naruto. "It's a gambling town, right? We'd sometimes go by there because there was also a secret bounty station for nukenin."

"That so? Interesting," said Jiraiya. "Anyway, you're right about the gambling town part. No idea how long Tsunade may remain there, but she didn't head out that long ago. If we hurry, we can probably make it there in only two days."

"Well, are we all packed up?" asked Naruto. "I'd like to get this over with and get back home. I'm a little worried about everyone; Mai-nē said that she was gentle and that Kakashi-sensei would be up in a week, but…"

"Yeah, it's good to worry," said Jiraiya with a small sigh. He shook his head. "We're all packed up. You can work on the third step and we can talk while we're on the move."

Naruto nodded. The two double-checked everything before heading off. As they walked away from Nokoma, Jiraiya blew up a balloon and tossed it to Naruto.

"The final step, containment as you already noted, is simply to try and do the same thing you did with the rubber ball… but keep it all contained inside the balloon. The balloon can't be allowed to so much as _twitch_, understand?"

"Yeah," said Naruto, looking at the balloon and beginning to go to work as they walked. "You got plenty of spare?"

"I bought a _lot_ before coming up to get you," said Jiraiya. "I figured you might get on this step by the time we reached Tanzaku, so I wanted to be ready."

"Thanks," said Naruto, trying to form the **Rasengan**, only for the balloon to explode, nearly knocking them back.

"Maybe you should try a little _less_ power to start," said Jiraiya. Naruto nodded slowly, and accepted the handful of unused balloons from Jiraiya, blowing one up as they continued to walk. He accidentally made it a bit bigger than Jiraiya had, but figured there was no harm—he'd worry about perfection at a later point in this stage.

"Anyways, while we were on the way here, we didn't talk much," said Jiraiya as the two continued to walk. "But… well, there's a lot to talk about. You came with me alone because you wanted to talk about your parents, and I want to talk to you about Itachi and Mai as well."

Slowly, Naruto nodded.

"I think I'll go first," said Jiraiya, smiling slightly as he thought about Naruto's parents.

"Tell me about mom."

"Kushina… she was a fiery one," said Jiraiya. "Real tomboy when she was little. She was cute when she was young, a beauty when she grew up; powerful, independent. Beneath all the politeness, you're a lot like her really. Hot-blooded… no real finesse in your ninjutsu-style either."

"Guess I always have been the type to hammer through things."

"The raw power to do it too," said Jiraiya. He ignored the explosion of the balloon, eyes glazing over slightly as he remembered the past. "The Uzumaki clan were close friends of the Senju clan. When the Senju teamed up with the Uchiha to found Konoha, the Uzumaki founded a village of their own—Uzushiogakure, in the island country of Uzu no Kuni. It was destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War, but not before your mother was sent to Konoha to become the next host of the Kyūbi. It was a terrible burden, but it was her heritage—her great aunt, Mito, wife of the Shodai Hokage was the original host of the Kyūbi."

"Really? Huh, I never knew that one…"

"Hah! Guess Kakashi didn't tell you everything. Well, let's move on to some other stuff."

With that, Jiraiya launched into a story of what he knew from the time Naruto's parents first met in the Academy.

* * *

The next two days were spent with Naruto and Jiraiya swapping stories—Jiraiya telling Naruto more about his parents, and Naruto relating what spending two years with Mai and Itachi was like.

To Jiraiya's surprise, the whole thing seemed far more pleasant and respectful than he'd expect from a pair of nutcases who'd only ever been outdone on the crazy by two people—Orochimaru and Maito Gai, and the last one was _very_ subjective.

It did, however, make Jiraiya curious—what was so important about a non-descript little town on the southeast coast of Hi no Kuni that it could hold significance for Mai? He decided he would need to investigate later.

Although, needless to say, with all the talking, Naruto only made minimal progress on the **Rasengan** by the time they arrived at Tanzaku-gai.

"Well, here we are," said Jiraiya. He shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "Naruto, you just focus on trying to complete that third step and follow me. I'll ask around to see if anyone knows anything."

"Yeah, sure…"

* * *

It had only been a week since Kakashi and Sasuke had suffered their genjutsu assaults from Mai (and Itachi too in Sasuke's case, though that one hadn't managed to do much before he broke free); in spite of that, both of them were now up and about, though Sasuke's still couldn't use his hands and Kakashi was forbidden from any strenuous activity, mental or physical, for the time being.

This led them to where they were now—Training Ground 7, with Kakashi overseeing his remaining students and Sasuke as they all trained, though in Sasuke's guess, it was more of a physical exercise routine setup by Gai to help improve his speed.

"So, how has your Suiton training with Zabuza gone?" asked Kakashi. Sakura shrugged.

"It's gone well," she said. "I think I caught him off-guard with how quickly I mastered everything—we've been careful not to reveal our secret training methods. He helped a lot with moving in the mist though, so I can make even better use of **Kirigakure no Jutsu**."

"Ah yes… I hate that technique."

"It isn't so bad, Kakashi-sensei," said Shino idly as he experimented with a new breed of kikaichū he'd been trying to create; his bugs had plenty of weaknesses, but he wanted to eliminate one because of just how valuable taking it out of the equation could be, so he'd experimented with specifically breeding kikaichū fed with molded fire chakra that hadn't been released yet.

So far, not a total success, but there was a higher tolerance for fire now. If this experiment succeeded, he'd attempt further such experiments, and wondered why no one had tried this before.

Well, it was likely that they had and it was simply a failure, but it's not like it took much time or effort on Shino's part to perform the experiment.

"How about you Shino?" asked Kakashi.

"I have searched ninjutsu scrolls for Doton jutsu with which to expand my skills," said Shino. "In addition, I have sought to improve my physical abilities and my versatility as well."

"Excellent work then," said Kakashi. "I can't do much more than supervise at the moment, but let me see how I might be able to help…"

* * *

It had been seven hours since Naruto and Jiraiya had reached Tanzaku. It hadn't taken long for Jiraiya to find a little information, and when they'd headed to the castle so Jiraiya could use it as a vantage point, they'd discovered a surprising amount of destruction.

The real shock came when one of the townsfolk informed them that a giant snake had been the cause.

Now worried about Orochimaru in addition to needing to find Tsunade, Naruto had set aside the training and the two had searched high and low for her… only to find nothing.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of frustration.

"Geez, how hard can it be to find one crazed drunken blonde gambler who literally can't win a bet unless it's to save her life?" muttered Jiraiya.

"Pretty hard apparently," said Naruto, his hat hanging on his back. "Ero-sennin, we've been looking for hours; maybe we should take a break to eat before trying again?"

"Yeah," said Jiraiya, looking over at a bar. "We'll eat there; might as well see if anyone knows something while we're eating."

"Guess so…"

The two stepped inside, taking a brief glance around. Naruto let out a small sigh, turning to Jiraiya to ask a question when he noticed that Jiraiya had suddenly frozen, staring intently at something. Naruto followed his gaze to see a buxom blonde woman on the other side of the bar staring intently at them.

"Tsunade?!" cried Jiraiya suddenly, pointing at the woman.

"Jiraiya?!" cried the blonde an instant later.

_Naruto_ face-faulted.

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me…" he muttered into the ground before pushing himself back up, Jiraiya helping to pull him to his feet. The two walked over to Tsunade's table, and Naruto took notice of the black-haired young girl with Tsunade and the pig with them as well. Then, he noticed that Tsunade looked horrendously drunk.

A short while later, they were all sitting at the same table, with Naruto idly munching on appetizers while studying the two women in front of him, and Tsunade and Jiraiya sipping at sake. Shizune, the last occupant of the table (discounting the pig) was studying Naruto rather intently; fortunately, he'd gotten used to female attention, so he could ignore it well enough, though she certainly wasn't ogling him the way other women sometimes would, and was instead studying him in the same way he studied her and Tsunade.

"What a day…" muttered Tsunade, "seeing old acquaintances everywhere."

"Orochimaru?" questioned Jiraiya, pouring the last of the sake for her. Naruto noticed the way Shizune's eyes widened the smallest fraction and she sat up a little straighter. "What happened?"

Shizune glanced at Tsunade.

"Nothing much," said the blonde, "we just said hello." That was a lie, and everyone knew it. Tsunade reached into her robes and pulled out a deck of cards, starting to shuffle them. Jiraiya handed his plate to Naruto, clearing the table in front of him.

"Why are you here?" asked Tsunade, placing the deck on the table. Jiraiya took the deck and cut it.

"I'll get straight to the point," he said, placing the deck back on the table. "Tsunade… the village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage."

Tsunade froze just as she was about to pick up the deck, Shizune's eyes widened in shock, and even the pig looked surprised. Naruto was critically analyzing both women in front of him, but especially Tsunade now that she knew why they were here.

After a moment, Tsunade picked up the deck and dealt Jiraiya and herself a hand.

"Have you heard about Sensei?" asked Jiraiya, picking up his cards.

Shizune looked away.

"Orochimaru killed him… right?" said Tsunade, picking up her own cards. "I heard from Orochimaru earlier today." Both women were surprised when they saw Naruto's hand clench into a fist.

"That's correct," said Jiraiya. "The village came away with surprisingly little damage and few casualties, but we need a Hokage, and you are the best candidate. Besides, a new generation of medic ninja needs to be trained, and there's no one as qualified as you to do that." He traded in three of his cards. "So? What's your answer?"

Tsunade was silent for a moment before dropping her entire hand on the table.

"Not possible," she said calmly. "I refuse." She picked up a new hand of cards. Jiraiya smirked slightly

"I remember those words," he said. "I asked you out on a date once and you answered me the same way."

Silence followed for a moment as Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at each other. Then, Tsunade began speaking.

"My grandfather and the Nidaime dreamt of ending the war, but both died before that could come to pass," she said, slowly spreading out her hand to see her cards. "The Yondaime died not even a year after taking the position. Even Sarutobi-sensei died because of it. Only an idiot take's on the position of Hokage."

_SNAP!_

Everyone's eyes turned to the broken chopsticks Naruto was now holding. He was taking slow, deep breaths trying to calm himself, but his whole body shook with anger.

"Who is this kid?" asked Tsunade. However, before anyone could say anything, Naruto stood up.

"Let's go, Ero-sennin," said Naruto. "We're wasting our time." He looked Tsunade right in the eyes, and she flinched when she saw not the blue eyes from before, but a pair of red irises with black slit pupils.

"Naruto…" said Jiraiya slowly.

"No, Ero-sennin," said Naruto. "I think it's obvious that we shouldn't have bothered. This piece of trash isn't worth our time." Tsunade's eyes narrowed angrily as she shot to her feet.

"And who are you to call me trash?!" she demanded.

"Tsunade-sama!" cried Shizune. Naruto continued to stare into Tsunade's eyes as Jiraiya face-palmed in frustration.

"It doesn't matter who I am," said Naruto. "Only a piece of trash can insult her grandfather, great-uncle and teacher like that. And I won't stand for anyone insulting my father the way you did."

"Father?!" gasped Shizune. Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.

"My father may not have even lived a year in the office of the Hokage," said Naruto, "but he was a great man, and a far greater ninja than someone like you could ever hope to be. Guess what, Tsunade-_sama_? _Everyone_ dies sooner or later. Ojiisan lived in that office for over four decades. My father may have died, but he died stopping a monster so powerful it was considered a natural disaster from destroying the village."

The two continued to glare at each other.

"You're not Senju Tsunade, the medical kunoichi whose strength and skill are renowned throughout the shinobi nations," said Naruto. "You're just a drunk, vain old bitch, wallowing in the past and running away."

Shizune was trembling at this point, and Jiraiya looked like he feared for Naruto's future.

"Big words from such a weak genin," said Tsunade. To her surprise, Naruto smirked.

"Oh really?" he said calmly. "Then prove me wrong, oh _great_ and _mighty_ Sannin. Prove to me that you're the woman I've admired for years as one of the strongest kunoichi to have ever lived. Prove that you're the woman that the person dearest to me holds in such high regard."

"Fine," said Tsunade, returning Naruto's smirk. "Let's take this outside, ya little brat."

Jiraiya and Shizune both sighed as Tsunade leapt over the table and walked outside with Naruto. Frustrated, Jiraiya laid some bills on the table, more than covering what they'd consumed and picked up the cards before following Shizune out of the bar.

As Naruto and Tsunade stared at each other, the kunoichi held up her right index finger.

"This finger…" she said, "is all I will need to beat a snot-nosed brat like you."

Naruto smirked, pulling off his hat and cloak and tossing both at Jiraiya, who caught them off-handedly. Tsunade and Shizune were both startled to realize that, while Naruto wasn't bulked up on muscle, his muscles had some clear definition, even through the black shirt he wore. Naruto put one hand on the "tantō" at his waist and smirked.

"Well? Come on, little brat," said Tsunade. Naruto continued to smirk… and suddenly, an afterimage flickered out of his body, charging at his opponent.

_**Bunshin no Jutsu**__ without any hand seals?_ thought Tsunade. _Maybe he is more than just a brat…_

_Everyone's_ shock came when the apparent afterimage drew the tantō, expanding it to Eldhi-Arc's standard size, stabbed it into the ground, and used it to add momentum for a roundhouse kick aimed at Tsunade's head. The blonde ducked, realizing from the damage to the ground that the clone was solid.

"**Kage Bunshin**?" gasped Shizune. "But that's impossible! No one can use that technique like that!"

Tsunade tried striking the shadow clone with a finger, but it suddenly detonated in her face, throwing her back.

When she looked up again, three more Narutos were charging at her in a stance resembling the Jūken, while the original hadn't even shifted footing since going on the offensive. Tsunade was about to attack, against using only one finger, but then the middle clone fell back slightly before all three converted to spheres of wind that went flying at her.

Tsunade was too shocked to move as two of them flew on either side of her as the last came straight at her chest. She was just about to jump when all three suddenly "detonated", expanding outwards and smashing into her from all sides.

When the attack was over, Tsunade was battered, bruised and cut, panting heavily as she prepared to heal herself… only to feel a cold blade pressed against the back of her neck. Her eyes wide with disbelief—a disbelief mirrored by Shizune and Jiraiya—she shifted them to stare at the real Naruto, standing next to her with Eldhi-Arc ready to behead her.

"I'm not on the level of the Sannin," said Naruto, "but there's still no way in hell I would ever lose to a drunk off her ass, arrogant fool two decades out of practice and unwilling to take me with the slightest hint of seriousness." He turned his head to give her a one-eyed glare. "I will say this once again: you're trash!"

Angry, Tsunade spun around, hitting Naruto for all she was worth… only for him to flicker out of existence as he performed a substitution with a clone in the instant before she hit him. Tsunade stared at the empty space, wide-eyed with disbelief.

"You can say whatever the hell you want about the position of Hokage," said Naruto, again back where he started. Tsunade spun around to find him glaring at her. "But if you do… then expect that others will say the same about you. So you think the Hokage are idiots? Fine, that's your opinion. This is mine: the Hokage are heroes, and one of them is worth ten thousand of you."

Tsunade looked around. Shizune's face was filled with disbelief, and Jiraiya was smirking.

"The real Tsunade… the legendary Namekuji-Sannin who saved countless lives during the Second War… there's no way she'd have ever been beaten that easily by a mere genin like me! If you want to run and wallow in your sorrows and self-pity… if you want to say 'impossible' like a whiny little loser who gives up at the first sign of trouble… then fine. But if you do that…" Naruto pointed Eldhi-Arc at Tsunade, "… then give up the name 'Tsunade'. Call yourself any of a thousand other names, but _stop_ tarnishing the name of one of the most powerful kunoichi that ever lived. _Understood_?!"

Eldhi-Arc expanded with such suddenness that no one could react in time, and stopped its expansion a foot from piercing Tsunade through the stomach.

Jiraiya smiled proudly as Tsunade and Shizune both stared at Naruto in open, wide-eyed shock.

"Who are you?" questioned Tsunade. "Is the Hokage name important to you because of your father?"

Naruto smirked.

"My father may have something to do with it," he said with deliberate slowness, "but ultimately… I intend to become Hokage one day. To be Hokage is my dream!" Both women were even more shocked at that declaration. "I will become a Hokage to surpass all others. I will gain the strength necessary so that I can protect others. I will prove myself to others so that they will follow me… and I shall build a bridge of peace between the nations so that we may lay aside the weapons we poise to slaughter each other."

Tsunade stared at Naruto in disbelief as Eldhi-Arc shrunk back to tantō size and Naruto sheathed her. He continued to smirk at Tsunade.

"I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, third jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko, son of Namikaze Minato, the Kiiroi Senkō and Yondaime Hokage, and of Uzumaki Kushina, second jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko. I am a proud shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, with a legacy to live up to, and I shall not run away from that. If fate tries to stop me, then I will take on whatever foes it uses to bar my path and I shall _win_, for _that_ is _my_ Way of the Ninja!"

Silence followed that declaration. Jiraiya walked over to Naruto and handed him his cloak, which he put back on before accepting back his hat.

"Well said Naruto," said Jiraiya, smiling at his student.

"Thanks, Ero-sennin," said Naruto, returning the smile. "So, what do you say we head back to Konoha? It looks like you'll be stuck as Hokage after all."

"Looks like," said Jiraiya, giving an off-hand glance to Tsunade, who had collapsed to her knees while Shizune ran over to her.

_It's as Naruto said: she's years out of practice, drunk, and she underestimated him. If she'd fought him at full and recognized that he wasn't just a brat, she'd probably have won. If she wasn't drunk, that one finger might've been enough too. But her reaction time is slow because of the alcohol in her system, and by the time she took him seriously, she'd already lost._

"I guess that means you'll be too busy to continue teaching me," said Naruto. He raised one hand, and began to form the **Rasengan**. "We'll have to make the most of the time we have left for me to learn this."

"That's…" gasped Tsunade in shock. Then, the **Rasengan** detonated when Naruto failed to maintain the containment, pushing the boy and his master a little away from each other.

"It'll take a week to get back to the village from here," said Jiraiya, smiling down at Naruto. "Do you think you can pull it off in that time?"

"Hah! I'll do better! I'll master this to its full strength by the time we're home!"

"I'll take that bet," said Tsunade, drawing the attention of both males and shocking Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama?" she questioned as Tsunade stood up. There was an odd look in the blonde's eyes as she stared at Naruto, fingering the necklace she wore on her neck.

"Naruto… a man never goes back on his word," she said slowly. "So let's make a bet: if you can complete the **Rasengan** to its full strength in one week, I'll acknowledge that not only can you become Hokage, but that you're right about the title. If you can't though, then you give up your foolish dream and acknowledge _my_ views about the Hokage."

The two blonds stared at each other. Both Jiraiya and Shizune had gone slack-jawed in disbelief of what Tsunade was betting—the stakes for Tsunade were small, but for Naruto they were incredibly high. To their surprise, Naruto grinned.

"Let's raise the stakes," he said. "If I win, not only will you do everything you said, but you'll come back to Konoha, shape up your act and at least train a new generation of medics, even if you refuse to become Hokage."

"And if I win?"

"What do you want?"

"Mmmm…" Tsunade smirked. "If I win, then every month I'll come by Konoha and you'll give me seventy percent of all your earnings for that month."

"That seems cheap compared to what I want."

"Maybe to you, but it gets me what I want out of it."

The two continued to smirk at each other, and Jiraiya suddenly wondered if Naruto had been looking to _provoke_ this reaction from Tsunade.

"Is it a deal?" asked Tsunade. Naruto's smirk grew as he formed another **Rasengan** and tried to contain it.

"Deal."

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did you all think? After some consideration, I concluded that this was how things would probably play out.  
**

**Plus, you know, I never forgot about the fact that Naruto is normally _nigh impossible_ to hit in a fight because of his skill with Kawarimi no Jutsu. Kid was trained to be nigh-invulnerable on a personal level. Nor did I forget that Mai had taught him the three core aspects of the Rasengan, even if she never taught him to combine them all.  
**

**And then, _finally_ the return of Zabuza! I'd been planning for his return to be tied to the invasion for some time, and finally found a way to reintroduce him. He's not entirely trusted yet, but like Zabuza, can you blame them for that distrust?  
**

**Anyways, I had a lot of fun with Tsunade in this chapter, and it was actually kind of nice to have _someone_ get screwed over by underestimating Naruto again. That really hasn't happened since Kakashi got his ass handed to him during the Survival Test _way_ back in chapter 4.  
**

**There's also Sasuke; I'm gonna have a lot of fun with that. As I've stated repeatedly, Mai was overall rather gentle compared to Itachi when she hit Kakashi, and Sasuke is made of much sterner stuff than he was in canon; furthermore, canonically I can't see the trauma he suffered leaving him comatose for weeks, _especially_ since it was something he'd seen before. At any rate, I have some fun plans in the future. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about having Sasuke deal with some of the things Mai showed him, I just want to wait on that for a later chapter.  
**

* * *

**Jutsu Translations:  
**Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hiding in Mist Technique  
Toyotama – Luminous Jewel


	24. Memories

**Yay, new chapter! This story's going fast at this point, though I'm struggling a bit with a few upcoming parts. And, well, part of why it's running fast is that I've been struggling with pretty much _all_ of my other stories, and this is the only one that isn't driving me bonkers.**

**Anyways, I wound up doing something unusual here; at least half of this chapter is flashbacks that are wholly unrelated to the chapter itself. The counterpart episode had a series of flashbacks elaborating on Tsunade, and I needed to pad this out given where I wanted the chapter to end.  
**

**Hence, even though it's not necessarily appropriate, I wound up taking the opportunity to fill in flashbacks that show you a bit more about Mai, as well as snippets of Naruto's time outside the village with Itachi and Mai. Mai tends to get the focus in this case, because A): Itachi's pretty well known to us all, and B): Itachi's a very difficult character to write within the needed context for the flashbacks, because he's "the stoic" and doesn't display outward emotion the way Mai does.  
**

**Also, got a really irritating review last chapter from a _vehement_ Sasuke hater saying that I should have Naruto kill Sasuke and then have everyone celebrate. This left me going "WTF?! 0_0". It's also why the story suddenly has a disclaimer in the description that I do not go around bashing characters, because for the love of whatever divines you believe in, character bashing should _not_ be considered a perk of a fanfic!  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. And Maileesaeya apologizes if the flashback parts irritate anyone; since they have no impact on the chapter proper, they can be considered an optional bonus and skipped if you so choose.  
**

* * *

That night, the four stayed in the same inn, renting two separate rooms, one for Naruto and Jiraiya and the other for Tsunade, Shizune and Tonton.

Naruto let out a faint sigh, staring out the window of his room.

_I've got Tsunade on my bet, but it's a huge risk_, he thought to himself. _If Mai-nē ever finds out I risked such a thing after she and Itachi-nii spent so long preparing me to become Hokage… she'll never forgive me._

His thoughts then drifted to something that had come up earlier.

_Orochimaru… that bastard isn't far away… did he come to make sure Tsunade wouldn't become Hokage? Well, whatever the case… damn it, I wish I were strong enough to do something about him, but unlike Tsunade he was always a frontline combat type, and he sure as hell isn't out of practice, not to mention I'm pretty sure he doesn't drink, so that's out too… plus, there's always the fact that he got a good idea of what I can do **and** knows who trained me… hoo boy, I wonder if we should bring **that** up to Tsunade before the damn snake can give her some twisted version of whatever truth he knows…_

There was a knock on the door. Letting out another sigh, Naruto turned and walked over to open it as Jiraiya glanced up from his notebook.

Shizune stood on the other side.

"I'm sorry to visit so late," she said, "but, Naruto-kun… I need to talk to you."

"Sure," said Naruto, shrugging slightly and stepping out of the doorway. "What is it?"

"I didn't want you to get the wrong impression of Tsunade-sama," explained Shizune as she walked in. She glanced at Jiraiya before proceeding to the balcony along with Naruto.

"Wrong impression, huh?" murmured Naruto. "What a joke."

"Tsunade-sama isn't the kind of person you think she is!" insisted Shizune. "Please don't talk about her like that when you don't know anything about her! I know that she insulted your father, but…!"

"You really think I don't know that?" said Naruto softly, bringing Shizune up short. "I don't know that much about what made her like this… but it doesn't change my belief that as she is now, she's tarnishing her own name."

Silence filled the air after that.

"She's changed," said Shizune softly. "Ever since that day… the day she lost her dreams, her love and her hope, leaving her with only that necklace filled with memories both sweet and bitter."

"What happened?"

"She… her younger brother dreamt of becoming Hokage," said Shizune. "That's where it started; she gave him that necklace she wears, an heirloom from Shodai Hokage-sama. And then… he died. I don't know how, only that it was brutal. Years later, she met my uncle, Dan. He was a medic nin who shared many of Tsunade-sama's views and dreamt of being Hokage to make some of those hopes and dreams a reality. They fell in love, she gave him the necklace, and promised to help him. He died not long after that."

Naruto said nothing.

"It's said that the necklace is cursed and recognizes only Tsunade-sama, killing all others who try to wear it," said Shizune. "Dan's death… was even worse than her brother's. Tsunade-sama was there, and her medical skills… even hers weren't great enough to save him. That's why… that's why Tsunade-sama behaves the way she does. That's why…!"

"Then she's even worse than I thought," said Naruto softly. Shizune stared at him in shock.

"It's been years," said Naruto, "and still she wallows in misery when she should've allowed herself her grief and moved on. She dishonors their memories by destroying herself instead of striving to keep their dreams alive. My sensei once told me that those who break the rules are trash… but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash! And I believe that is true of someone who shames the memory of their loved ones!"

"Naruto-kun!" said Shizune.

"I never even knew my mother and father!" said Naruto firmly. "I'm still going to do everything in my power to make them proud."

"If you really think so little of her…" came Jiraiya's voice behind them, "then why did you demand she come back to the village if she loses the bet?"

The two turned to face him and Naruto smirked.

"You can't figure it out?" said Naruto evenly.

"Are you trying to convince her to become Hokage?" questioned Shizune. Naruto shook his head.

"I meant it when I said that she would just need to come back and train a new generation."

"Still… you're taking a huge gamble, Naruto," said Jiraiya. "If you lose, then you lose everything. The village could've been fine without Tsunade; it wasn't worth risking your dream."

To their surprise, Naruto chuckled weakly.

"You think that's why I put it on the line? For the _village_? Please," said Naruto. "I will lay down almost everything for the village, including my life. But my dream of being Hokage… is a dream of the village. I won't die and I won't fail… until I become Hokage. This bet has a lot to do with the village, but I didn't make it for the village's sake."

"Then why…?!" said Shizune, spinning back to face him. Naruto's smirk disappeared, a solemn look entering his eyes.

"The village doesn't need Tsunade," said Naruto softly. "It's Tsunade that needs the village right now. I did this, put everything on the line, for her sake." The eyes of the other two widened in shock.

"But… why?" questioned Shizune.

"Naruto, you barely know her," added Jiraiya softly.

"I can't stand to see people destroying themselves like that," said Naruto. "When I see something like that… it's not in my nature to sit on the sidelines and do nothing."

"You mean… all of this… you _planned_ this?!" cried Shizune in shock. The blond chuckled weakly.

"Well… not _all_ of it, and not _planned_ per se, but… that's one way of looking at it."

"What a guy," muttered Jiraiya, shaking his head. "You're really something, Naruto."

Naruto smirked at him, raising his right hand.

"I've finally figured it out, Ero-sennin," said Naruto.

"Hmm?"

"Why nē-san took me in… why she really chose me…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah… it's because she knew what kind of person I was… and she believed in me." Naruto grinned while Shizune glanced between them, wondering what they were talking about. "So that's why…"

"That's why…?"

"That's why… I have to make them proud… and become a Hokage to make the dreams of six generations of Konoha shinobi and countless others a reality!"

Naruto formed another unstable **Rasengan**, holding it out so that it was "pointed" away from the building.

"No matter what!"

The **Rasengan** destabilized, the detonation sending all three tumbling into the room. Despite that, Naruto was smiling.

* * *

"_Good work Naruto!" cheered Mai with a slight clap as seven of the blond sat on the ground, panting after finally pulling off the **Kage Bunshin**. Mai looked the perfect image of an older sister right now._

"_Indeed," said Itachi with a very small smile. "Despite the simplicity, it often takes even jōnin-level shinobi a few days to utilize this."_

_Pleased with the praise, the Narutos looked up at the two and grinned before the clones dispelled themselves. Mai stepped forward as Naruto continued to pant._

"_I really did it," he said, "hah… to think I'm so horrible with the regular clones…"_

"_We'll change that Naruto," said Mai, lifting his face slightly. To his surprise, she kissed him gently on the forehead. "It may not be today… but you will become a great ninja Naruto."_

"_Yeah, I know! I'll get real strong under you two!" said Naruto as Mai pulled back. There was an odd smile on her lips as she shook her head._

"_You misunderstand, Naruto," said Itachi as Mai helped the boy to his feet, "it is not power that makes a great ninja."_

"_It's this," said Mai, putting a hand over Naruto's chest. "It's heart that makes a great ninja. This is what separates a powerful ninja from a great one. Never forget that lesson, and always be sure to do the right thing and not just throw away life for anything but the right reason."_

* * *

"_This is **boring**," groaned Naruto as he tried to read a textbook. He wasn't using the clones for this study just yet, as every time they'd tried, the clones had just wandered around goofing off._

"_I know," said Itachi understandingly. Mai was off somewhere today. "But it's necessary; while this may not be needed to become a great ninja, if you wish to be Hokage then you must possess this knowledge."_

"_Yeah, but isn't there a more interesting way to go about it?" said Naruto. "Even I know that I've got the attention span of a three-year-old when it comes to this stuff!"_

_Itachi shook his head with a faint smile. Those had been getting more frequent as time passed._

"_Then perhaps we shall try some more… immediate incentive," said Itachi._

"_Hmm?"_

_Itachi's smile shifted into a distinctive smirk._

"_There is a limit on my eyes, so it is best that I do not do this for you myself," he said, "but when Mai returns, she can do it instead."_

"_What do you mean? And what limit on your eyes?"_

_Itachi knelt down next to Naruto, and his Sharingan shifted into the pinwheel of his Mangekyō Sharingan._

"_These eyes are powerful, Naruto, and they grant me powerful jutsu," he said. "But there are limits—I only have enough chakra to use three of those techniques; stamina is a weakness of the Uchiha Clan that few are aware of. Furthermore, use of those jutsu will damage my eyes. Too much, and I will become blind."_

_Naruto gasped in shock._

"_Mai, however, received a gift that keeps her from suffering that," continued Itachi. "Not only can she use her jutsu many more times than I can without exhaustion, but she does not damage her eyes in doing so. It is the most readily obvious way that she has surpassed me."_

"_Hmm… Mai-chan's really powerful huh?" questioned Naruto, eyes shut as he thought all of this over._

"_Yes," said Itachi softly. "It took many years and many sacrifices, but she may be the greatest ninja I have ever known; in my lifetime, I have known only four to be her equal."_

"_Four? Is Hokage-jiji one of them?" asked Naruto._

"_He is one," said Itachi. "The others are all dead though; Yondaime Hokage-sama is another. The others were Shisui, who was like a brother to me, and Mai's sister Miyu."_

* * *

_It had been a year since they'd taken Naruto in, and the boy had now mastered all of the techniques they were going to teach him. He'd been learning taijutsu and academics whenever the three could stop somewhere long enough for it, but right now, the blond was very confused._

"_Mai-nēsan, why do we always seem to pass by this place?" asked Naruto. Mai ignored him, but Itachi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, drawing his attention. Itachi shook his head. Naruto looked back to Mai and saw the look of longing in her eyes._

_Neither of her companions knew what she was looking at, but Mai preferred it that way._

_She stared into the village; it was so small and so far removed from any other village that it barely had a name. But she knew it well._

_Her eyes let her see something no one else could in that village: possibility._

_A tear slipped from her left eye as she watched the illusions of possibility, her Mangekyō Sharingan fully active with a strange shuriken-like deformity on her left eye while the right was the normal double-pentagram._

_The house wasn't real; the people weren't real. They could've been, but they weren't. This future was lost to them._

_They built the house with their own hands, their own sweat and blood, not once taking advantage of the powerful jutsu they possessed. They'd left behind the ninja ways._

_Their names had been Uchiha Shisui and Kazekaika Mai. In this future, they'd never gotten involved in the massacre—instead, the two fled to this remote village together, using the power gifted to them by Miyu to start over._

_She could see it all, the entire happy life they could have led; so remote were they that the war begun by Tobi never touched them. As the fate of the world was decided in a distant land, they remained in this small village._

_The years passed, and the young lovers had a child together, a baby girl named Miyu._

"_Shisui…"_

_But that future would never pass; they'd sacrificed their happy future together in order to forge a brighter future for the world, only to create new paths into the darkness._

_Every day was a new battle to keep the world off those paths. And thanks to Naruto, she was winning, and there wasn't a damn thing **anyone** could ever do about it!_

* * *

With a little help from the medics, Sasuke had made a full (physical) recovery, though he refused to elaborate on what kind of psychological trouble he'd faced and had taken to avoiding others, venturing out only to join Team Kakashi for training.

He needed to talk to Naruto; Sasuke needed to know the extent of Naruto's relationship with Itachi and Mai. Until he knew that, he didn't want to breathe a word of what he'd seen and learned to anyone.

"Alright, very good," said Kakashi as Sasuke ran a hundred-meter dash. "You can't maintain constant speed, but for what I'm going to teach you, the quick bursts will work, at least until you're dealing with higher-level opponents, by which time it shouldn't be a concern.

"Thanks," said Sasuke. Kakashi gave a faint smile.

"Now, before I teach this to you…" The ground shook from the force of an explosion, and the two looked over to see a massive, smoking crater; Sakura was working on developing even more powerful explosive tags. Kakashi shook his head.

"As I was saying, I need you to promise me something," said Kakashi.

"What?"

"What I'm about to teach you is a very dangerous and very powerful technique," said Kakashi. "It's my own original ninjutsu, the **Chidori**. I need you to promise me that you won't abuse it, that you'll use it to protect your friends."

Sasuke considered it; this technique could be the key to him eventually defeated Itachi, but that would be using it for vengeance. Could he make that promise?

He recalled some of the words Itachi had spoken, and shook his head.

"I swear that I will use it to protect them," said Sasuke softly. "And… if _he_ comes after Naruto again, I will use it to protect my friends and avenge my clan… but _only_ if he is threatening my friends. If he isn't… I'll find vengeance through another means."

"I suppose that's all I can ask."

_BOOM!_

The two winced, rubbing their ears.

"Sakura, tone it down!" called Kakashi. "I think someone out in Iwa wearing earplugs _might_ still have their eardrums intact."

"Sorry sensei!"

"Was she _really_ one of my craziest fangirls only four months ago?" questioned Sasuke. Kakashi chuckled at that.

* * *

"_Kakashi."_

_The cycloptean jōnin paused, looking to the source of the voice._

"_Rin," he said, smiling slightly. "Is there something you need?"_

"_I thought I'd introduce you to my genin team," said Rin, motioning to the three children behind her._

"_It's only been a few years since the war," said Kakashi, "but they're still getting out that young huh? And aren't you just newly promoted to jōnin?"_

"_Hey, I'm perfectly capable, and so are these kids! Come on you three," said Rin. "This is my old teammate, Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi, these three are Uchiha Itachi, Kazekaika Miyu, and Miyu's twin sister Mai."_

_Kakashi observed the three. Itachi and Miyu both held themselves confidently, but Mai seemed really shy, hiding behind her twin just slightly. Kakashi smiled at them._

"_Aren't you a fine bunch," he said. "And Itachi? Aren't you the prodigy heir of the Uchiha Clan?"_

_Itachi nodded._

"_And Miyu… I think I've heard of you," said Kakashi, "if I recall, they say you're a prodigy of the highest level. They're calling you the next Kiiroi Senkō."_

_Miyu scratched her head a little—mother of the kami, how could someone so young and cute be even half as dangerous as the rumors claimed?_

"_I really don't think so," she said, glancing back at her twin, who was looking at the ground. "Personally, I think Mai will be the next Kiiroi Senkō!"_

"_M-M-Miyu-nē…" stuttered Mai, "I'm n-nothing s-special…"_

"_Nonsense! You're better than Itachi or I!"_

"_Our scores would say otherwise," muttered Itachi dryly._

"_You shut up! Mai will be the greatest kunoichi that ever lived, just you watch!"_

_Mai blushed a shade of crimson Kakashi had never seen before._

"_B-but I n-nearly f-flunked out…" stuttered Mai. "M-Miyu-nē and Itachi-kun are the o-only r-reason I d-d-didn't…"_

_That's quite the stutter, thought Kakashi. He looked at Rin, who gave a slight nod._

"_Don't be hard on yourself, Mai-chan," said Rin, kneeling down next to her shy student. "You can still be a strong kunoichi!"_

"_B-but I…"_

"_What Rin-sensei said!" said Miyu brightly. "You won't just be the strongest kunoichi that ever lived; one day, you'll be the strongest ninja in history!"_

_Mai continued to blush and stutter denials. Kakashi smiled slightly—she was just adorable._

"_Hey, how about I tell Shisui-nii about how great you'll be?" suggested Miyu._

"_Eep!" Mai blushed a thousand shades of crimson before suddenly fainting. Kakashi quirked an eyebrow._

_I know she's only six years old, but this is ridiculous. Is she really supposed to be a ninja?_

* * *

_A two-fingered poke on the forehead… "Forgive me Sasuke. Maybe next time."_

_A gentle kiss on the forehead… "Don't worry Sasuke. I'll be there."_

_Sasuke sat at dinner with his parents, thinking about his brother and sister. There was a world of difference between them, and at the same time, they seemed so alike._

_He really looked up to them though, and he depended on Mai a lot. His father always talked about Itachi with such pride, and his mother did the same with Mai. Itachi was always busy, never having time for him, but Mai would always pay attention to him and make time for him. She pampered him a lot, and when she was at dinner, she would be the one to talk about Sasuke's improvements and express pride in his growth._

_It made Sasuke feel warm. He knew that his parents and brother would be there for him when he really needed them, but his sister was the one who was there when he just wanted her there. Heck, she was the only one he'd felt comfortable confiding his feelings to, and she encouraged him to be honest._

"_Is something wrong Sasuke?" asked Fugaku. That he would do so caught Sasuke a bit off-guard, but he smiled._

"_I was just wondering… why does Mai-nēsan live with us? I've never seen her parents or anything…"_

_His own parents exchanged a concerned glance before Fugaku let out a sigh._

"_Mai's father, Masara died when you were a baby," he said softly. "He was a victim of the Kyūbi attack; the rest of us were cowards who couldn't work up the courage to go and fight, but he led a handful of others to aid in the defense of the village—he was a wonderful example to us all of what every ninja should strive to be. As for her mother… she died a few years later. We're the only family Mai has left; that's why she stays with us."_

"_I see… I never knew…"_

"_Of course you didn't," said Mikoto. "None of us ever talk about it. It's been painful for Mai, but she hasn't let that get her down, and she's become a fine kunoichi."_

_Sasuke grinned._

"_By the way, where are nii-san and Mai-nēsan?"_

"_Ah, your brother is joining the ANBU," said Fugaku, smiling. "He's young, so I'm really proud of him for doing so, but it does mean he'll be busier from now on."_

"_And Mai… she became a jōnin last week," said Mikoto with a similar smile. "She's the youngest jōnin ever, so I'm really proud of her too, but she might have to leave for long periods of time."_

"_I see…" Sasuke deflated slightly. Mikoto shook her head, smiling down at him._

"_Sasuke, don't worry," she said. "You know Itachi and Mai. They won't just forget us. Especially not you."_

* * *

"**Rasengan**!"

Naruto rammed the sphere into the ground, observing the damage done. While impressive enough for a genin, it was obviously not complete. Still, after four days he could maintain enough containment to use it, but he still hadn't managed to bring it to the full strength required by the terms of the bet.

Despite the stakes involved, Naruto had refused to use the shadow clones even now; on something like this, it wouldn't be right for him to cheat, and any victory achieved that way would be a hollow one.

As Naruto stared at the hole in the ground, he let out a small sigh.

_It's all coming down to this… I have to do this… if I can't even help Tsunade here when she needs it the most… then I don't deserve to be Hokage… but I won't fail. Mai-nē, Itachi-nii, Kakashi-sensei, mom, dad, ojiisan… I **won't** fail!_

* * *

_Naruto was receiving kisses on the forehead from his nē-san practically everyday now, which made him giddy in a way—she only did that when she felt he'd made significant progress._

_Naturally, it had become more frequent as he improved further and further with the use of shadow clones for learning. He'd managed to improve his concentration enough to really take in what he read, and worked towards the gradual release of his clone training armies._

_They'd stopped by that village several more times—it hadn't taken long for Naruto to notice that they passed it every three months or so, and each time, Mai would either spend hours staring at the village or would wander off on her own for the day. Itachi denied knowing why she did it, and eventually, Naruto had just started shrugging it off the way Itachi always did._

_However, other than the visits to that village, Mai seemed bright and cheerful; Naruto had been quick to learn that she could slip in and out of her insanity act at a second's notice, and she only ever showed her real self to him and Itachi._

_They were only a few months away from his return to Konoha. He'd been getting trained in taijutsu lately, but now, Mai had pulled him to the side._

"_Alright Naruto, it's time for a new advanced chakra control exercise," she said, with a bucket of water sitting between them. "Here's how it goes." She knelt down, placing her hand in the bucket, waiting for the water to settle. Then, a few seconds after the water **had** settled, it began moving again even though Mai hadn't moved her arm, the water rotating around her arm and starting to turn into a vortex._

"_With this exercise, you need to release chakra from your body and control its motions outside of your body," said Mai. "This is an **extremely** difficult exercise to do to its full potential even when you've got good chakra control. So, we need to get this done as soon as possible, because I still have a few more things I need to teach you before you go home."_

* * *

"_Naruto, this will be the last thing I teach you before you go home," said Mai sweetly. Naruto couldn't help but pout at her._

"_But Mai-nē… I was really looking forward to relaxing during our last few days."_

"_We'll go to a mixed-bathing onsen on the last day to make up for it, okay?"_

"_Gah! NO! I don't want to have perverse thoughts about my onē-san!"_

_Mai smiled._

"_Ah, that's sweet!" She looked at Itachi. "I guess that means there are three boys I know who don't have perverse thoughts about me."_

"_It is unlikely Shisui would've…"_

"_Itachi, you know better," said Mai. There was something odd about that last exchange that left Naruto confused, but he just wanted to get away from the topic—no way in hell did he want to be having perverse thoughts about Mai, as he couldn't begin to imagine what that might say about him, and given the way people behaved whenever the group visited an onsen, Mai was presumably attractive enough to turn the heads of completely heterosexual girls._

_That might've just been a misunderstanding (after all, **Itachi** was always there too, and the way girls acted might've just been jealousy), but Naruto had no desire to find out for sure._

"_Anyways, Naruto, what I'm gonna teach you is about external chakra containment. This is a very complex and difficult task, but the potential utility and benefits of learning this are huge! For this exercise, you will be utilizing twenty clones! You listening? Good! Let's get crackin'!"_

* * *

The week was almost up, and Naruto still hadn't quite broken through to the **Rasengan**'s true power and potential. He'd become frustrated, and barely refrained from creating clones to help. He had resisted the urge though, and instead began to train furiously.

Which led him to where he was now: conked out in his bed at the inn after overdoing it and causing a backfire that knocked him out.

_Looks like I win_, thought Tsunade, staring at his unconscious form. _Even if he wakes up tomorrow, his condition is going to leave his chakra out of whack, and he won't be able to do a complete __**Rasengan**__._

The blonde fingered her grandfather's necklace.

_For a while there, I actually thought he just might pull it off… it's almost disappointing to be reminded that I was right._

She glanced at her unconscious apprentice before sighing and picking Shizune up, laying her next to Naruto—the beds were big enough for that, and there was no way in _hell_ she was putting Shizune in that pervert's bed.

_Even still…_

She brushed a little hair away from Naruto's forehead, looking at him with soft eyes.

_What a kid… I don't know if I can really do this to him… but… maybe…_

She stepped away from the bed.

_Whatever the case of the Hokage… maybe he's taught me something else…_

* * *

Naruto woke up in an awkward position that nearly had him shitting bricks, and he was _definitely_ sweating in fear.

_Do not react, do not react, do not react_, he chanted to himself.

The last thing he remembered was a particularly violent **Rasengan** backfire. So, how had he gotten back to the inn, why was Shizune in his bed, and most importantly, _why was she clinging to him and smothering his face in her boobs?!_

Carefully, Naruto created a shadow clone… and then performed a substitution with it before releasing it, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Geez, what's with her?" questioned Naruto, glancing out the window. He let another sigh. "I need to complete the **Rasengan** today… ah well, nē-san always did say I worked best under pressure."

But first, he needed to wake Shizune and find out why the hell she'd been sleeping in his bed—on top of the covers, fortunately, but _still_!

He reached out and started shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, Shizune-san," said Naruto. She groaned slightly, and he released her as her eyes lifted open.

"Naruto… -kun?" she muttered. Her eyes suddenly widened as she shot into a sitting position. "Wait, you're back up already?"

"Hmm? Why wouldn't I be? I don't think I'd have been knocked out if any limbs were broken, and that's kind of what it takes to keep me down more than a single night."

"You're kidding…" muttered Shizune, before remembering who—and what—Naruto was. "Is that because of the Kyūbi?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is," said Naruto. He shook his head. "Well, anyways, I should get back to work—if I don't get this right in time to show Tsunade then this whole endeavor has been pointless."

That was when last night came rushing back to Shizune in full. Remembering how Tsunade knocked her out when Shizune said she'd stop Tsunade from helping Orochimaru even if it killed her, the black-haired woman suddenly jumped off the bed, the sudden motion sending a bit of pain flaring through her abdomen.

_I may not be able to do much on my own_, she thought, glancing at Naruto. She made a decision.

"Naruto-kun, I don't think you'll have time to practice," she said, rushing to the balcony door. "Please follow me, I'll need your help."

She pushed it open and was just about to step out when a kunai flew right past her face and embedded in the wall. She looked to her left for the source and gasped.

"You're…"

Naruto rushed over next to her and followed her gaze.

"Ero-sennin, what happened?!" cried Naruto, jumping out and rushing to Jiraiya's side as the super pervert panted and sweated.

"That Tsunade… she put something in my sake last night," said Jiraiya. "I can't mold chakra properly, my body's numb and I can't even throw kunai properly."

"So even though she may be out of practice on fighting, looks like she's still good enough with her medical work," said Naruto. "Unless you're going to tell us she got you with a perverted trick; under the circumstances, I think I'd prefer that to be the case."

"Hah! I kind of wish it was right now," said Jiraiya, shaking his head. "But no, I've long since learned to control myself around her. Even drunk, I didn't think she'd find a chance to poison me, but she did."

"Why though?" asked Naruto. Suddenly, he turned to Shizune. "Shizune-san, what's she up to? Why would she feel the need to poison Ero-sennin?"

Shizune looked away, confirming that she definitely knew. Naruto shook his head, producing a shadow clone that he sent back into the room to get a glass and a pitcher of water for Jiraiya.

"I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama, so I didn't say anything before," said Shizune. "But now…" The clone returned with the water for Jiraiya, which he accepted gratefully.

Shizune shook her head.

"Orochimaru wanted to make a deal with Tsunade-sama," said Shizune. "He would use a jutsu of his to revive Nawaki and Dan-ojisan if she would cure his arms."

"Cure his arms? What happened?" asked Naruto.

"**Shiki Fūjin**," said Jiraiya, drawing their attention. "That's how Sarutobi-sensei died—he used a powerful forbidden fūinjutsu that costs the user their life; it was powerful enough that your father used it on the Kyūbi when he sealed it away. But Sarutobi-sensei was heavily injured too, so he wasn't able to get Orochimaru completely, only taking out his arms. Tsunade just might be good enough to repair even that damage."

"Got it," murmured Naruto, shaking his head. "Shizune-san, did Orochimaru tell you what he would do if his arms were cured?"

"He told us he planned to renew his attack on Konoha."

That took both of them off-guard.

"Seriously?" muttered Jiraiya, forcing himself to stand up.

"Would Tsunade really accept?" asked Naruto. Then, he shook his head. "No… there's definitely a chance, and that alone is reason enough. Ero-sennin, can you move?"

"Well enough."

"Then we should get going," said Shizune.

* * *

"_I see… so you really did come through… I just never expected you to join her, Itachi…"_

"_Father… mother… I…"_

"_We know," said Mikoto softly._

"_Itachi, Mai, promise me… that you'll look after Sasuke," said Fugaku._

"_I don't know that I can," said Itachi._

"_Mai…?"_

"_There is more going on than you know," said Mai. "Fugaku, Mikoto… I can't stay in the village. Itachi will need my help for awhile."_

"_I see," murmured Fugaku. "Well… don't hesitate. Our pain will only last an instant, unlike yours. You two… I'm still proud of you, despite our different paths…"_

"_I'm sorry… I wish you had listened to me…"_

"_That was my own choice; the future isn't set in stone. Mai… if you can't look after Sasuke, then I have a different request of you… you have his eyes, don't you? In that case…"_

_Silence followed that statement as each of them grasped exactly what he was implying._

"_I understand," said Mai after a moment. An ethereal warrior emerged from her body. A shadow clone flickered in and out of existence, and a moment later, another shadow clone entered carrying a fresh corpse._

* * *

_Hokage-sama, I hope you read this before making any judgments about Naruto._

_Yes, we took him from the village. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but you would've told Danzō and the advisors, and I don't want them in on it. The advisors can't keep their lips sealed from Danzō, and the war hawk should not know the truth._

_I'm going to tell you why we took him; he's a lot like me, isn't he? We both had large chakra reserves, we were both dropouts, both orphans. But that wasn't all and this next part may be hard to understand._

_The future isn't set in stone, but there is something out there trying to force a fate on us. Miyu and I were destined to be enemies, with her embodying the Will of Fire while I embodied the Curse of Hatred. I was close to falling into it, but that's why she died: in order to protect me from that._

_Fate isn't giving up though; it's trying to force our destiny on Naruto and Sasuke, having Naruto take Miyu's place and Sasuke take mine. But I won't let that happen; more than anything else, I've prepared Naruto to fight against that force, because… well…_

_Screw destiny. The future should be what we make of it._

_That, more than anything, is why we took Naruto in. That boy is our hope for the future; he can and will bring peace to the world. Not because of some prophecy naming him as a destined child, not because destiny says that he should, but because that's who he is._

_Naruto is our dream, because he has chosen to be that dream. Don't tell anyone else about this; burn this letter._

_I wanted you to know, because I don't know that I'll ever be able to tell you in person and… I suppose I miss you. You were one of those who always helped me feel at home and welcome._

_~Kazekaika Mai, Futarime no Rikudō._

_PS: Don't ask about why I put that title on, it was mostly just to annoy a certain masked prick I know even though he'll never know about this letter…_

_PPS: Yes, the crazy was an act. Why do you ask?_

_PPPS: Yes, I was there the night of the Massacre and I know damn well what happened. Actually, I know what happened better than you do, how do you like that, huh?!_

* * *

_Itachi gave Naruto a two-fingered poke on the forehead._

"_Good luck Naruto," he said. "I'm sorry I can't stay to watch you."_

"_Its fine," said Naruto, grinning up at Itachi. "You've helped me to grow strong! I'll always remember the things you taught me!"_

_Itachi smiled… then was flipped to the ground and dragged away by Mai's shadow clones in a rather undignified manner that did not befit a man such as Itachi—which, of course, was why Mai did it._

_Mai kissed Naruto on the forehead where Itachi had poked him._

"_I know you'll make us proud, Naruto," she said. "Good luck, and trust me on this, you'll get the girls. Yes, plural, girls, don't give me that look."_

* * *

When the three of them reached the meeting point, it was to discover an impressive amount of devastation.

"Looks like Tsunade-hime refused the deal," muttered Jiraiya. He looked around. "She still has that monstrous strength too."

"Do you think she'll be able to kill Orochimaru?" asked Naruto as the three looked around.

"No way to be sure," said Jiraiya. "Orochimaru may be crippled, but he and I were always working on our combat skills and he isn't out of practice when it comes to fighting."

"Orochimaru also has an attendant with him," said Shizune. "I only got a brief look at his skills, but he's at least as good as me. He might actually be better."

"Hmm?" Naruto looked down. "Tsunade's coat…" Tonton came over and began to sniff at it.

"She must've discarded it when she started fighting," said Shizune. "Tonton, do you have the scent?"

The pig squealed slightly in what Naruto could only guess was an affirmative.

"Hold on," said Naruto, biting his thumb and smearing the blood on his left arm. "Tonton can't move as quickly as we can unless she's being carried, in which case we'll have a harder time tracking the scent. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!"

A small explosion of chakra smoke and an azure dragon about the size of Jiraiya's arm emerged. Shizune gaped in shock.

"**Naruto? Why in the world would you summon me?**"

"I needed a tracker," said Naruto, motioning to Tsunade's coat. "We're kind of in a hurry here and… well, you know the rules, Hayate."

"**Right,**" said Hayate, sniffing at Tsunade's coat. "**Combat summons for expected combat, travelers for travel, trackers for tracking, etc.**"

A major rule of the Four Symbols contracts that Naruto hadn't brought up to Jiraiya: no summoning them for the hell of it, save for forms of practice or a few other cases. They all had roles to fulfill, and if you summoned them for anything but that role, there had better be good reason. Naruto got along well enough with Kikyō, Isamu and Kasumi that he could generally get away with it, but they were too big for this area, and even when you got along well, you did _not_ summon them and ask them to do something outside their combat role without really good reason.

Sufficed to say, they would not consider this valid enough.

"**Alright, I've got the scent,**" said Hayate. "**Try to keep up, oh ye puny mortals!**"

And with that, the group was off in pursuit of Tsunade and Orochimaru.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Again, I hope that, if you didn't enjoy the flashbacks, you at least were not bothered by them.**

**Anyways, this chapter is mostly filler; there's no real development going on here, and it's just there to tell us that not much happened between last chapter and the next one. Nothing here really progresses the story, but it did provide a fair bit more on Mai.  
**

**So, yeah, Mai was Shisui's lover. Classically, creating a character like Mai involves said character being _Itachi's_ lover, but I find I prefer the sibling relationship between the two, and her being in love with Shisui adds an interesting angle for her dynamic with everything that happened in the Uchiha Clan Massacre.  
**

**Kakashi's flashback to his first meeting with Mai also shows off a _very_ Hinata-like personality in her youth, and also introduces us to Miyu for the first time. The second to last flashback shows us what was written in the letter she had Naruto deliver to Hiruzen _way_ back in chapter 2, which also reveals a fair bit of what Mai's plotting (or counter-plotting as the case may be).  
**

**Finally, the last flashback was part of where I put some more emphasis on the fact that, while Naruto was much closer to the more open Mai, he was also very close to Itachi. You know, considering Itachi treats him in a fashion not dissimilar to how he treats the person he was willing to let the entire village that he'd slaughtered his family for _burn_? Make no mistake that Itachi does care about Naruto for reasons beyond his connection to Mai.  
**

**Well, what's done is done anyways. I hope you'll all leave reviews, and if you were disappointed with this chapter, don't worry—the next one kicks things back into overdrive.  
**


	25. The Brawl

**Originally, I planned to post this on Monday… but then wound up having to go back and rewrite _half_ the chapter when I looked it over and realized it felt really lackluster. For that, I apologize.**

**Being perfectly honest, I still feel that the current content is kind of weak, but I'm not sure how to actually make it better. In all honesty, I suspect the fic may be average (or slightly above, at best) for the next few chapters at least. I honestly can't say for sure.  
**

**Also, I've been a bit distracted lately, partially by two Naruto fic plans that have been bouncing around in my head. One is for a story with a more Feudal Era setting and significantly less mysticism (and almost no ninja, the characters primarily being samurai, monks and other sorts of warriors), and the other plays off of just a few core changes, such as Tobi not surviving his battle with Minato, Naruto not being an idiot hero, and the characters _not _being over-the-top super soldiers.  
**

**Anyways, that's enough up here. I'll leave the rants for the bottom A/N.  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Kabuto had decided… he was having a really bad day overall.

It started out well enough—it seemed like they were going to get Orochimaru's arms cured. He was sent off to make sure that Shizune didn't interfere, only to discover Jiraiya and Naruto with Shizune, prompting Kabuto to rush back to Orochimaru.

He'd been in time to realize that Tsunade had double-crossed them, and was about to kill Orochimaru instead of healing him. After being exposed, Tsunade decided to take the direct approach, resulting in a merry little chase that had lasted the better part of an hour and left a trail of destruction and craters as Kabuto and Orochimaru ran for their lives from an angry, buxom blonde bombshell intent on making them regret not enjoying their last birthday cakes more.

Then Kabuto thought he had the advantage, weakened Tsunade, and let his guard down. That led to him getting a whacked up nervous system.

Even that hadn't been so bad—he was good enough that he soon figured out how to get around eighty percent of his body moving correctly again. He'd spun around, drawn a kunai, and charged the vulnerable Tsunade, intent on injuring her just enough that she couldn't fight anymore.

And _that_… _that_ was where his day _really_ went downhill when a dark blur appeared in his path and attempted to cave in his face with a sandaled foot.

"Ugh… I should've stayed in bed this morning…" muttered Kabuto, pulling himself back up and looking over at Tsunade.

Naruto, Jiraiya and Shizune were now standing around her. Jiraiya was focused on Orochimaru some twenty feet behind Kabuto, Shizune was trying to help Tsunade, Tsunade was looking at the newcomers in wonder, and Naruto was glaring down at Kabuto.

Kabuto chuckled slightly.

"You don't look surprised, Naruto-kun," he said, standing up.

"Sasuke-san and Hinata-san told me about your betrayal," said Naruto.

"Ah, now that's a _long_ story, but betrayal isn't quite the right word here; it implies I was still on Konoha's side when we met."

"Fair enough," said Naruto with a low chuckle.

"What about your betrayal?" questioned Kabuto, his words taking Tsunade and Shizune by surprise. "You want to be Hokage, yet you accepted training from two of the three greatest traitors in Konoha's history."

"Don't compare Mai-nē and Itachi-nii to that smug snake behind you," said Naruto lightly, ignoring the shock of the two behind him. He glanced past Kabuto to Orochimaru. "Nice people, aren't they? Leaving a worthless piece of shit like you alive." Kabuto stiffened slightly, but Orochimaru ignored the insult, smirking at the group instead.

"Well, I think they were just worried Akatsuki's Leader would take exception to simply slaughtering me," said Orochimaru. "But I didn't come to banter with you, Naruto-kun, though I admit to being ashamed I didn't seek you out as a student myself. Kabuto… we should proceed."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

The two sides continued to eye each other. Tsunade was now recovered from Kabuto's earlier attack on her, and was the first to make a move, knocking Jiraiya aside.

"Get out of the way!" she said as she charged at Kabuto. "I'm putting an end to both of them right now!"

However, before she even reached Kabuto, he violently stabbed his kunai into the palm of his right hand, spilling blood across himself and the ground. Tsunade froze for just a second, and he swung his hand around, sending blood flying at her. Trembling, Tsunade stumbled back as Kabuto smirked.

"Dealing with two of the Densetsu no Sannin at once is a bit much even for me," he said, "so I'm immobilizing one right now!" He accompanied that cry with a punch that sent Tsunade flying back. Shizune caught her, falling to the ground as she did.

"Well… guess it's our turn," said Naruto, stepping forward with Jiraiya.

"Be careful Naruto," said Jiraiya as Kabuto backed up to stand next to Orochimaru and consumed a pill. "That guy's probably on Kakashi's level."

"Yeah… I kinda figured," said Naruto. Orochimaru pulled the bandages on his left arm off with his teeth, exposing the dead flesh beneath it.

"Shizune, take care of Tsunade and support Naruto where you can," said Jiraiya. "I'll deal with Orochimaru."

"Yes sir…"

Kabuto smeared some of his blood on Orochimaru's arm, then began performing hand seals. As he did so, Jiraiya bit his thumb and began to perform the same hand seals.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" cried Jiraiya and Kabuto at the same time. Two explosions of chakra smoke emerged; as the smoke cleared, Kabuto and Orochimaru were standing on the head of one of two large snakes coiled together and Jiraiya… was standing over a small orange toad about the same size as Tonton.

"What's up?" asked the toad. Jiraiya looked stricken; Kabuto and Orochimaru looked amused. Naruto let out a small sigh of frustration.

"Oi… fine, Ero-sennin, I'll lend you a bit of help," said Naruto, biting his thumb and applying blood to his left arm once again as he rushed to the side away from the others. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!"

Their enemies' smug expressions had disappeared when it became clear that Naruto was going to get in on the summoning, and not without reason.

When the smoke cleared, an azure dragon easily as big as the two snakes towered over Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune with Naruto atop his head.

"**Snakes? Naruto, you should've summoned Isamu again! Hearing him rant about fighting these pitiful reptiles would've been hilarious!**"

"Nah, he's pissed off enough as it is and Hayate told me that Kikyō's still recovering," said Naruto. "That means it's your turn Kohaku. Deal with the snakes please; Ero-sennin and I will deal with the two idiots on top of them."

"**With pleasure! ****Fūton: Shottogan****!**" roared Kohaku as he blasted out thousands of compressed spheres of wind. The snakes rushed to the side in an attempt to dodge, but hundreds of the spheres still tore through sections of their bodies, even as the snakes dove down and smashed into the ground where Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune were. The dust kicked up prevented Naruto from seeing what was going on, but he prepared to rush over as soon as the air cleared up, even as Kohaku went charging at the snakes.

Naruto leapt off Kohaku and to the ground, rushing towards the cloud. As the dust cleared, he caught sight of Shizune launching needles at Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi dodged to the side, and counterattacked with a kunai. Shizune leapt back to avoid his attack.

"**Ninpō: Dokugiri**!" cried Shizune in the same breath she unleashed a massive cloud of purple mist that quickly engulfed Kabuto.

As this was happening, Jiraiya attempted to submerge the snakes with **Doton: Yomi Numa**, but wasn't able to summon up a large enough swamp to do so, merely trapping the snakes half-submerged in the muddy substance he'd created. Kohaku did not complain, clamping his jaws on the neck of one snake and wrapping his tail around another, slamming both to the ground on opposite sides of the swamp.

_**Like this the snakes won't be able to fight back**_, thought Kohaku, _**but it may take me a few minutes to slice through their necks in this position.**_

Even jostled by Kohaku's attack on the two snakes, Jiraiya and Orochimaru did battle across the parts of the snakes that weren't submerged, mostly a running taijutsu battle with Orochimaru using kicks while Jiraiya tried to get his still-numb body to move properly.

* * *

Down on the ground, Kabuto took out Shizune by using his chakra scalpels to cut her leg tendons. He was just about to deliver a knock-out blow when he was forced to make a run for it as a series of fireballs flew through the area he'd just been.

"Naruto-kun," muttered Kabuto, turning to face the blond as Shizune dragged herself back over to Tsunade to begin treating her legs.

"Kabuto-san," said Naruto, smiling pleasantly, "it's really not polite to beat on injured women." Kabuto pushed his glasses up slightly, smirking at Naruto.

"Now… since when have you ever been polite in combat?" he asked in the same pleasant tone Naruto was using. "After all, Naruto-kun, are you not the kid who demonstrated his skill with thrown weapons by planting a kunai into the crotch of his target?" Naruto continued to smile.

"Kabuto-san, I did merely say it was not polite," said Naruto, "not that I wouldn't do it myself."

A sword suddenly sprouted from Kabuto's chest… only for him to transform into a log. The sound of clapping was heard, and Naruto glanced over to see Kabuto approaching him from a new angle.

"You're a talented kid, Naruto-kun," said Kabuto. "It is a shame you are the sort who cannot understand the path to greatness; Orochimaru-sama would give a great deal to have you as an apprentice."

"The so-called pedophile can shove it," said Naruto with a faint shrug. "As far as I'm concerned, even if you're right and the path to greatness does lie with Orochimaru, Konoha is my home and I will give my life to protect it."

"I know," said Kabuto. "I don't want you to think badly of me; I really respect that. I respect your resolve, and it is a shame that we must be enemies." The sun glistened off of Kabuto's glasses as the smile disappeared. "In a different world, you and I might have been friends. But unfortunately, that isn't possible in our world. So… let us dispense with the pleasantries, Naruto-kun."

With that, Kabuto went charging forward. Naruto's smile disappeared, expression going grim as he threw off his cloak and three more of him flickered into existence.

"**Katon: Karyū Endan**!" roared one clone.

"**Fūton: Namikaze**!" cried another clone.

"**Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu**!" shouted the third clone a few seconds after the others.

A massive blaze tore through the air towards Kabuto, the intense heat washing over everything in the area. Keeping in mind his current situation, Kabuto escaped the only way he knew how: **Kawarimi no Jutsu**.

The poor rock he replaced himself with was reduced to slag… as was much of the surrounding area. Naruto's follow up wind cutter unleashed even more devastation.

"That last part seems like overkill," remarked Kabuto, charging in and attacking Naruto with his scalpels. He struck what he thought was the real Naruto, only for it to detonate in his face, sending him flying back. He recovered and charged back in, tossing several shuriken at the three Narutos, who responded by deflecting them with their tantōs.

"I've never believed in overkill," said Naruto. Kabuto closed to melee range and swiftly dispatched one clone.

_His skills surpass mine pretty extremely_, thought Naruto, _but even still…_

The remaining Narutos sheathed their weapons, one slipping into a stance of the Mirāken, the other slipping into the defensive stance of Itachi's Hogosha Shisei. Kabuto slipped into his own combat stance, staring the two Narutos down.

* * *

"That's quite a brat you picked up there, Jiraiya," said Orochimaru as he landed a kick on Jiraiya, who defended with his **Hari Jiz****ō**.

"I could say the same for yours," said Jiraiya with a smirk.

"Kabuto is a fine ninja," agreed Orochimaru as he backed away from Jiraiya before stretching out his neck to try and find an opening in Jiraiya's defense. "But…" Orochimaru slipped through and attempted to bite Jiraiya's neck, but was stopped just short by his opponent's defenses, "that Kyūbi brat… has the most potential I've ever seen in one so young."

"Heh… so you _are_ capable of seeing real prowess on at least some level," said Jiraiya, grinning slightly. "**Hari Jigoku**."

Needle-like hair shot away from Jiraiya at Orochimaru. The Hebi-Sannin dodged the attack, even as the snake shifted under them from Kohaku lifting its head and slamming it to the ground—it seemed the dragon had decided it would be quicker to convince them to break the summoning through blunt force trauma than to kill them off by severing their heads.

"It's a shame he will need to die," commented Orochimaru. "He is a problem for me, and his death will hinder the Akatsuki as well."

"Akatsuki would be annoyed, but I think his nē-san and nii-san just might get murderous on you," said Jiraiya, smirking as he released the **Hari Jiz****ō**. "**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!"

"Yes… that will be a problem!" agreed Orochimaru as he leapt backwards, out of the range of the fireball. The snake they were standing on writhed in protest of the fire on its scaly body. "But no matter; in the end, I will defeat all of Akatsuki who dare to bar my path to immortality!"

"Arrogant fool," muttered Jiraiya.

* * *

Facts were facts: Kabuto was better than Naruto. But, to the shock of both Tsunade and Shizune, the two stood at effectively equal footing, with Naruto taking advantage of his monstrous stamina to maintain a full squad of a dozen clones at all times. He figured, even if he couldn't beat Kabuto directly, it was within Naruto's power to wear him down.

"I have to admit to being curious," said Kabuto conversationally as he took out another clone, only to be forced to dodge a strike from two more, "why are you so intent on protecting her? This obviously isn't about stopping her from healing Orochimaru-sama."

"Heh… you're right," said Naruto. "I'm protecting her because that's just the sort of person I am."

"That's admirable, I suppose." Kabuto struck a Naruto he was _sure_ was the real one, only for it to pop out of existence. "You're skill isn't to be underestimated, nor your ability to recognize the best way to fight… but…"

As Naruto sent a blow at Kabuto's arm, he suddenly used **Kawarimi** to switch places with Shizune.

"Crap!" cursed the attacking Naruto, tumbling aside in order to avoid hitting her. Meanwhile, Kabuto threw more blood at Tsunade as he advanced on her. He smirked.

"There is a weakness in protecting others too," said Kabuto, punching Tsunade… only to land the blow on Naruto's hitai-ate instead. Still smirking, Kabuto immediately brought his left hand in to strike Naruto's chest, but the blond deflected the arm so that Kabuto only brushed him. Kabuto began to pull back, but Naruto reached out and took hold of his arm by the wrist.

"Hey… Kabuto-san…" said Naruto, voice low as he raised his right hand. "Mai-nēsan tells me that I work well under high pressure and high stakes… I'd appreciate it if you could help me to test that theory." A sphere began to form in Naruto's hand.

_What is that? Shit!_ Kabuto tried to pull free, but Naruto's grip on his wrist tightened. So instead, Kabuto drew a kunai in his left hand and stabbed Naruto, the blond twisting slightly so the kunai wound up in his chest instead of throat or face. Kabuto withdrew the kunai and used it to slash at Naruto's left arm, opening new wounds and drawing more blood with each strike.

"If I keep hitting you like this, you'll die from blood loss and where's your dream then?!" screamed Kabuto, suddenly losing composure now that he was in a position of active danger.

Naruto smirked as the ball of blue chakra fully formed into a condensed, whirling sphere of compact chakra.

"I pity you," said Naruto as Kabuto tried to pull free, "you just don't get at all."

Naruto rammed the sphere into Kabuto's stomach with all the strength he had as Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and Orochimaru watched the scene with eyes full of shock.

"**Rasengan**!" roared Naruto. Kabuto screamed in pain as the sphere ground into him, and he was suddenly launched backwards, ripping free of Naruto's tight grip so suddenly that his wrist snapped on the way. Kabuto flew backwards until he slammed into a boulder, leaving a trail gouged into the ground and a crater in the rock with him in it.

Smirking even though he was shaking from loss of the blood now covering his body and clothes, Naruto forced his body to stand straight, tall and proud.

"I refuse to die until I become Hokage," said Naruto. "Nothing will stop me from achieving my dreams. Not fate and not even death."

_I can't believe it…_ thought Tsunade; _he mastered the __**Rasengan**__ in this situation…_

"That brat… mastered that technique?" whispered Orochimaru. Jiraiya smirked.

"Now do you understand, Orochimaru?" he questioned. "It isn't knowing the jutsu that makes Naruto strong. It's his force of will and the strength he gets from protecting others that lets him do the impossible; that is the source of Naruto's strength, and it will continue to push him to new heights until he becomes a Hokage to surpass all others, a new god of the shinobi."

"Hmph…"

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Kabuto forced himself up, taking a step forward.

"Hah… even that wasn't enough to put you down?" questioned Naruto.

"Heh… I gathered chakra in my stomach as a defense… and to begin healing myself before your attack landed," said Kabuto as the surface damage from the **Rasengan** disappeared. "Truth is, Orochimaru-sama didn't make me his lieutenant for my clever mind or talent for techniques… but for my overwhelming healing power. Mine's a bit quicker than yours, but its not as powerful, and it does use up most of my chakra in exchange."

"So you can still go," muttered Naruto, glancing at his arm as the cuts began to close up.

"Yeah, but you…" Suddenly, Kabuto froze, hacking up blood before falling to the ground.

_What? I'm still this damaged?! How… damn it… I don't have enough chakra…_

"Looks like… your regeneration wasn't sufficient," said Naruto. "But…" Suddenly, Naruto hacked up blood himself, "the damn fox is screaming at me for messing up… you're good… looks like a double knock-out… ugh…" Naruto fell over backwards.

"What? No!" cried Shizune, rushing over to him as Tsunade did the same. Tsunade laid her head on his chest, her concern for Naruto's well-being overcoming her acute hemophobia. "Tsunade-sama?!"

"He's showing signs of arrhythmia!" said Tsunade. Shizune gasped, before stepping back to allow Tsunade to work—in a case like this, more than one medic trying to work could be disastrous. The blonde's hands glowed as she used a chakra scalpel to cut open Naruto's shirt before she placed both glowing hands on his chest over his heart.

"It's useless," said Kabuto, "I've cut the chakra circulatory system to his heart so that he can't heal himself, and it will prevent your techniques from repairing the damage as well."

"Shut up," said Tsunade. "I'll kill you later."

"I have a better idea," said Shizune, standing up and glaring at Kabuto with more hatred than she'd ever felt for anyone in her life. "I'll just kill him right now."

Kabuto could honestly say that he felt well and truly fucked as he stared at Shizune's furious expression. He amused himself by wondering what sort of expression Tsunade would fix his corpse with.

At that moment, a furious roar shook the earth. The snakes vibrated so forcefully that both Jiraiya and Orochimaru lost footing, and used their chakra to shoot themselves away and to dry land. Tsunade pulled her hands away from Naruto for fear the shaking would cause her to mess up, Shizune—still not fully recovered from Kabuto's earlier attack—fell to her butt, and Kabuto let out a groan. The snakes let out a noise that might've been a shriek as Kohaku's body seemed to bulge as if he were straining muscles, and with a loud _POP_-noise, the head of the snake gripped in Kohaku's tail was broken off the body as Kohaku's jaws crushed the neck of the other snake and the dragon tore its head fully off before taking to the skies with another roar that shook the earth below him.

The dragon's enraged azure eyes locked on the still form of Kabuto lying in the torn earth. Trees began to grow from Jiraiya's swamp and the land around them as furious gusts of wind toppled over the bodies of the dead snakes. Storm clouds began to form, and geysers of water exploded from the ground.

For the azure dragons, those who signed the contract were considered a part of their family. Although the rules about killing hardly applied/worked the way it did for an actual azure dragon, to kill a contracted in the presence of one could incite a rage that would make the heavens tremble in terror.

"Sakura… Ino-chan…" breathed Naruto softly. The world froze as all eyes turned to the blond lying on the ground. Tsunade felt tears falling from her eyes as she stared at him. "Ugh… Kohaku… go home… I was having a nice dream…"

Kohaku stared down at Naruto, his eyes seeing everything within Naruto's chakra system… before the mighty dragon threw back his head, raising it the sky and laughed as he disappeared a few seconds before the snake corpses exploded out of existence.

Naruto was only vaguely aware of that, or the conversation going on around him. Was Tsunade standing over him and crying? Huh. Well that was weird.

Then, he blacked out.

* * *

"Ugh…"

Naruto forced his eyes open with a groan of pain. Damn… his chest was throbbing in pain. What in the world happened?

"Ah, you're awake!"

Naruto's eyes turned to see Shizune sitting next to him, smiling with relief.

"Yeah… what happened?"

"Put simply? That Kabuto guy tried to sever your heart."

"Oh… and after that?"

"Well, you recovered; Tsunade-sama took an attack from Orochimaru for you, and then the three of them brought out all of their boss summons. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama eventually won, and Tsunade-sama tried to kill Orochimaru, but he and Kabuto both managed to get away, though I got the impression that the Snake Boss was really annoyed with them."

"Ah… well, at least we won. How are Tsunade and Ero-sennin doing?"

"They're both doing fine. Tsunade-sama exhausted herself during the fight, and Jiraiya-sama had some bone fractures that will take a little longer to heal, but both of them are moving."

"How are your legs?"

"Oh, that? I'd almost finished fixing it when you fell unconscious. You're fine as well; the fox healed all the damage, but you might be sore for awhile from having your chakra system and heart damaged and then healed so forcefully and suddenly."

"Yeah, but I figure this should pass too. By the way, did Kohaku disperse after I was knocked out? I seem to vaguely recall seeing him disappear…"

"Yeah, he did, right after you regained consciousness for a moment."

Then, a pensive look crossed Shizune's face.

"By the way… who are Sakura and Ino-chan?"

"Huh?"

"When you first regained consciousness, you said those names," explained Shizune.

"Oh." Naruto glanced away. "Sakura's my teammate and girlfriend. Ino-san is her best friend and someone I had a crush on."

"Is that right…" Shizune shook her head. "I'll go let Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama know that you're awake."

"Okay. Thanks."

Shizune nodded slightly before turning and leaving. Naruto let out a small sigh as he sat up, glancing around.

His chest was still throbbing; Kabuto must've done a real number on him.

"Heh… I probably deserve it for getting reckless like that," muttered Naruto.

He knew better than to fight Kabuto the way he had, but when Kabuto substituted with Shizune and tried to attack Tsunade by exploited her hemophobia… he'd just gotten so angry that it was all he could do to keep the Kyūbi in check, must less think about the situation with full rationality.

"Ah… Sakura's gonna kill me when she finds out."

Shaking his head again, Naruto closed his eyes, centering himself.

So, facts straight: he'd won the bet, so Tsunade was coming back to Konoha and he needed to check with Jiraiya and see if the old pervert had explained the situation with Mai and Itachi.

Oh, and he needed to start making apologies to the azure dragons—backed up with _lots_ of sake, tobacco and half a ton of sashimi.

Yeah, he was going to be in financial trouble after this one, but between Kikyō's injuries, Isamu's irritation and Kohaku's dismissal by Naruto (you did _not_ just dismiss a dragon out of hand like that), the dragons were probably at least a little annoyed with him.

Of course, he didn't realize that Kohaku had left of his own accord; otherwise he'd be a lot less worried.

The door of his room opened, drawing Naruto's attention as Shizune led Tsunade and Jiraiya back in. The blond grinned at the trio.

"So, good to see I was the only one not to be up and about," he said lightly.

"Ah shut up brat," muttered Jiraiya, "I went into that fight handicapped!"

"Your opponent couldn't use his _arms_ and you still couldn't kill him Ero-sennin," said Naruto, "how very embarrassing. At least Tsunade-san has a _legitimate_ reason for why she couldn't kill Orochimaru."

"It wasn't for lack of trying brat," said Tsunade, stepping next to the bed and examining Naruto. "I pounded his face in repeatedly and put all the power I could into that final punch, but the damn snake just _wouldn't die_. That kind of blunt physical trauma should've liquefied his brains. Even accounting for the fact that he's switching bodies in an attempt to remain young shouldn't allow him to survive that."

"Damn pain in the ass," muttered Naruto. "I shouldn't have sent Kohaku away before blacking out—would've been nice to have the snake reduced chopped liver."

"What's done is done," said Tsunade, straightening up. "Speaking of which, you won you little brat. Since we're all well enough to travel, we'll be getting some breakfast before heading home."

"Sounds good," said Naruto, about to throw his legs off the bed before Tsunade suddenly smacked him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"That was for making everyone worry; don't be so damn reckless next time!"

* * *

Naruto blamed his forgetfulness on the smack on the head from Tsunade.

"So, now that you're awake, care to explain that stuff about the Uchiha traitor and the Reibi no Akurei being your teachers?" asked Tsunade as they were eating breakfast in the men's hotel room a short while later.

Naruto shot his godfather a dirty look that may as well have screamed "why didn't you tell them you perverted idiot?!"

"Alright," said Naruto after a moment with a light sigh. "Here's how it goes: I'm ten years old, I just failed the academy graduation exam for the second time, and two teenagers wearing oversized, fully-buttoned up coats with red clouds on them and straw hats covering their heads show up in my apartment. The boy tells me that they're taking me from the village for training, the girl turns out to be batshit insane, but I'm desperate enough to accept the offer, spend two years traveling the world in their care and receiving training, come back home and only _then_ learn that they're possibly the two most dangerous criminals in the entire world."

Naruto turned his eyes to the two women who had both gone slack-jawed in disbelief. The blond shrugged.

"Itachi was always blaming it on Mai-nē," said Naruto. "Although, and this is something I've been wondering for awhile: how the _hell_ did Mai-nē get a nickname like _Reibi no Akurei_?!"

The others glanced at each other in surprise, though the two women seemed to still be processing what Naruto had said. With a faint sigh, Jiraiya spoke up.

"Two reasons: one, it's a bad pun on her Reiton ninjutsu and two… well, as far as anyone could tell, she was batshit insane and fought more like a force of nature than a human, so when she was sent to attack a place, you could expect it to look like it was hit by a natural disaster—or by a bijū, hence the nickname."

"Oi…"

"So the question is why the hell they would let you go like that?" asked Tsunade.

To their surprise, Naruto shifted uneasily. He seemed to be thinking things over before letting out a small sigh.

"Well… you need to promise me you won't tell anyone else for the time being," said Naruto, catching even Jiraiya off-guard once again. "I know exactly why they would let me return to the village they betrayed, but the reason is a secret that could lead right to a Fourth Shinobi World War."

"What?" gasped Jiraiya. "What the hell kind of secret is it?"

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone and I'll tell you."

The three were silent for a moment before Jiraiya nodded.

"Alright Naruto, I trust you," he said.

"I don't want another war either," said Tsunade. Shizune nodded in agreement.

"Okay… the truth is that they're still loyal to Konoha."

"Wait, what?!" cried Tsunade. "But that doesn't make any sense! I mean, I never cared much for the Uchiha Clan personally, but they were still valuable members of Konoha! Why would anyone loyal to Konoha destroy them?!"

"Because people blamed them for the Kyūbi attack," said Naruto softly. "The advisors and that Danzō guy became suspicious of them, as did a few others. Eventually, the Uchiha planned a coup, even though it would've led to a civil war in Konoha and, as a consequence, another Great War."

"So you're saying Itachi and Mai destroyed the clan to keep that from happening?" questioned Shizune. Naruto nodded.

"Hokage-jiji kept trying to find a diplomatic solution, but the Uchiha clan head kept refusing, so the elders went behind his back and ordered Itachi-nii to wipe them out since he'd constantly shown loyalty to Konoha over the clan. Mai-nē chose to help him, though she wasn't ordered to by anyone so, officially, she had no involvement."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other, shock written all over their faces before the Gama-sennin turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto… who told you this?" he asked slowly.

"Hokage-jiji did. Mai-nē confirmed it during our run in the other day before Sasuke-san showed up."

Jiraiya nodded slightly, satisfied by that, leaning back slightly.

"I can't believe it… those damn bastards… your mother was a close friend of the Uchiha matriarch, how the _hell_ could anyone think the entire clan would wish harm on her or Konoha? Sure, most of the clan didn't help in the defense against the Kyūbi but some of them did, they even gave their lives for it! So maybe a few of the Uchiha might've done something like that, but how is that any different from every clan?! There's _always_ someone who wants just a bit more power, but the entire clan didn't need to suffer even if that was the case!"

Tsunade digested everything that Naruto had told her and Jiraiya's little rant before she came to her decision.

"Alright, fine," she said, teeth grit. "That settles it, I'm not just coming back to Konoha, I'll take that damn hat too! Someone has to do something!"

"Tsunade-sama…" murmured Shizune, looking at her mentor in surprise.

"It won't be as easy as becoming Hokage, Hime," said Jiraiya. "If it really was, Sarutobi-sensei would've stopped these problems long ago. Besides, that son of a bitch Danzō is still running Root and in a position of power even though he was repeatedly given explicit orders to shut it down; even when he officially did so, he still kept it running in the shadows."

"Didn't you just say what's done is done?" said Naruto softly. "It's for the best that this remains under the table right now. I'm not sure if any of you ever studied politics, but I sure as hell wound up having too; we're years passed the massacre, so bringing them down for that is just asking for public exposure, and who knows where that could lead."

"I hate it when the brat is smarter than me," growled Jiraiya. Tsunade shrugged.

"He's right about not studying politics though," said Tsunade. "I _never_ intended to be Hokage, but someone who knows should be, the brat isn't strong enough yet, and the kami only know what could happen if you took the position. Even a drunken, gambling slacker like me is better than a perverted idiot like you for the job."

"Hey!" objected Jiraiya, clutching his heart as though emotionally wounded.

"At any rate, if the elders don't know that you know and think you trust them, they may relax their guard and give you something to bring them down with," said Naruto. He shrugged. "Or you could replace the advisors with your own—it would make sense for a new Hokage to choose her own advisors rather than relying on her predecessor's. Then you'd only have to deal with Danzō."

"Maybe I should make _you_ an advisor…"

"What?! No way!" said Naruto, waving his arms frantically in front of him. "I'm twelve! _Twelve_! It'll be another five months before I turn thirteen! I'm _way_ too young to be giving advice to the Hokage!"

"Oh, I don't know," said Tsunade thoughtfully, "you seem to be giving pretty sound advice right now…"

"Ugh…"

Jiraiya laughed lightly.

"Hime, you really shouldn't," said Jiraiya. "Keep Koharu and Homura; they're good people deep down and can give sound advice, even if they can be asses and willing to make unnecessary sacrifices for what they think is the best result. They actually approached _me_ to be Hokage simply to keep Danzō away from the position. Take out Danzō and you probably won't have any problems with those two."

Tsunade let out a small sigh.

"I should make you take the position…"

"My information is too valuable…"

"Excuse me Jiraiya-sama, but wouldn't that make you _better_ for the position of advisor?" asked Shizune off-handedly. The others all broke out in laughter at Jiraiya's expense, breaking the tense mood.

"Well, what comes will come," said Tsunade. "Let's finish up breakfast and then head out. Oh, but before we do, I've got a score to settle with you after we finish eating brat."

"What?" questioned Naruto, slightly worried. So were Shizune and Jiraiya, judging from the looks on their faces.

"You said it yourself, there's no way I should lose to a mere genin like you," said Tsunade. "If I'm gonna be Hokage, I should at _least_ be stronger than you, or I'm going to make you take up the hat."

"Okay…"

"And if you lose on purpose, I _will_ force you into the position of advisor, since you do give good advice and would've displayed a clear inability to take a fight seriously…"

Naruto paled and nodded.

"Great!" said Tsunade. "Now, let's… eat…"

The four stared down at their food, or rather, at the place their food had been. A little to the side, Tonton was lying on the ground, looking _extremely_ self-satisfied. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Naruto all twitched.

"Tonton! You're replacing that food!" screamed Tsunade, leaping at the pig. Fortunately for Tonton, Shizune had acted before the three food-manic ninja and started rushing the pig to safety.

* * *

An hour later, after Shizune arranged for another meal to replace the one Tonton had devoured, the four stood outside of Tanzaku-gai, Jiraiya and Shizune holding Naruto and Tsunade's cloaks, respectively, as the two stared each other down.

The fight began the same as their last one, with a clone shooting out from Naruto's body. However, rather than draw Eldhi-Arc, the clone began to form a **Rasengan**. Tsunade dodged, delivering a kick to the clone that destroyed it before shooting forward and brawling with a trio of Naruto clones. After only a few seconds though, she dispatched the clones and reached the real Naruto. The blond tried to dodge, but Tsunade knocked off his hitai-ate and brought a hand up to flick his forehead.

Naruto closed his eyes in anticipation of the upcoming pain, but there was a smile on his lips now, for three reasons.

One, Tsunade of the Sannin was definitely back. Two, she would be taking the position of Hokage after all. And three, he wasn't going to suffer anything more than physical pain for it.

However, rather than the pain he was expecting to be the price for all of this, Naruto suddenly felt a weight hanging from his neck, and the familiar feeling of soft lips kissing his forehead. His eyes snapped open to see Tsunade leaning forward (exposing a generous amount of cleavage that Naruto quickly averted his eyes from), and pressing her lips to his forehead before straightening up. Shizune looked shocked, Jiraiya looked horrifically jealous, and Naruto glanced down to see Tsunade's necklace resting against his chest, now worn on his own neck. Tsunade placed a hand against his chest, over the necklace, and smiled at him.

"Become a fine man… and when the time comes, an admirable Hokage as well, okay?" said Tsunade, once more placing her faith in a boy with a dream larger than life. _One more time… and I swear that this time will be different, Nawaki, Dan. This boy will make your dreams come true._

Jiraiya and Shizune were now wearing smiles of their own, and Naruto's face broke out in one of his own.

"I will," he promised.

"Good," said Tsunade, looking around and smiling a bit brighter. "Okay everyone… let's go home."

* * *

**Author's Note: In the original version, Naruto actually got back up and stayed in the fight, but when I was done, I looked it over and found that, while awesome in theory, in practice it wasn't all that great (at least, not with the Naruto I have here). So I revised it to have Naruto pass out, and decided it wasn't really worthwhile to write the rest of the battle. About the only difference is that Tsunade was in somewhat better condition when it was all over.**

**Anyways, as I was rewriting it, I wound up deciding to have Naruto divulge the truth-when you think about it, it's a bit much to ask Tsunade, who barely knows him, to just trust him out of hand after learning who trained him, even _if_ Jiraiya is saying it's okay. The long-term impacts of these three learning the truth will be explored down the line, but for now, it's gonna end up left floating.  
**

**Updates really are probably gonna wind up slowing down now, simply because this is where I start hitting a bit more of the "original content" zone where I can't even use canon as a guideline. Writing without a firmly established baseline is significantly harder than writing with one.  
**

**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Hopefully, it can pull me out of the rut I've been in on writing lately****…**  


* * *

**Jutsu Translations:  
**Fūton: Shottogan – Wind Release: Shotgun  
Ninpō: Dokugiri – Ninja Art: Poison Mist  
Doton: Yomi Numa – Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld  
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet  
Fūton: Namikaze – Wind Release: Wind Wave  
Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu – Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique  
Hari Jizō – Needle Jizō  
Hari Jigoku – Needle Hell  
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique


	26. Inheritance

**Hey, I actually got this one out at the time I'd hoped for! Hooray!**

**Compared to the last chapter, I feel the quality has taken a definite upturn. Hopefully, you all will too (though the reviews were positive, the last chapter garnered only six reviews, tying with chapter 10 for lowest; interestingly, that one _also_ got positive reviews despite that). I like getting reviews.  
**

**Anyways, not too much really happens in this chapter; it's mostly a transitory chapter, setting up for the next story arc of a few chapters, though there are two things of real significance that happen as well; they're obvious, so failure to spot them should probably qualify you as an idiot, but I suppose one might be brushed off easily.  
**

**Alright, enough of that! Things to do, places to be, houses to clean, stories in need of updates, new fic to write even though I know I'm shooting myself in the foot by doing so…  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

The gates of Konoha loomed before them, much to the relief of the four travelers (five including the pig). It had been just over three weeks since the invasion, but it was clear that things were settling back into a routine now.

They'd been hoping to just sort of slip in quietly without any ruckus, but the fact of the matter was that their group consisted of two members of the Densetsu no Sannin and an apparent blond prodigy who had seemingly soloed an out of control jinchūriki, contained the monstrous Kyūbi no Yōko, and unleashed a _frickin' dragon_ on the invaders three weeks ago.

A few minutes later, they found that they had about as much luck slipping in without a fuss as Tsunade had at gambling.

That said, it was kind of amusing, at least, for Shizune. She couldn't decide what event had been the funniest overall, but for each individual, there was Tsunade sending an ignorant pervert flying, the horde of twenty-something women bolting at the mere sight of Jiraiya, and the horde of eager fangirls that had attempted to jump Naruto.

"Gah! I'd been hoping I wouldn't have to deal with this!" cried Naruto, clinging to the giant gates to keep away from the bulk of the fangirls below. Unfortunately, several of them were kunoichi who started running up the gates after him. "Damn it, I thought the actual kunoichi were more serious than this!" Naruto shot away from the gate and to a distant roof.

"Jiraiya, you didn't teach the kid his father's most well-known technique, did you?" questioned Tsunade lightly.

"I don't even know it myself, but if he can apply this speed to **Shunshin**, he could probably be faster with it than Minato," said Jiraiya jokingly, though he was eyeing Naruto with a hint of jealousy.

All that ruckus, though, and you would draw attention. To Naruto's greatest fortune, the right person's attention had been drawn, and as one kunoichi fangirl leapt after Naruto, she was suddenly knocked out of the air by a red blur, and then Sakura landed in front of Naruto, pink hair swaying in the wind slightly as she glared down at the fangirl hordes.

"Back off," she growled. To Tsunade's surprise, the fangirl horde did just that, bolting in all directions with cries of fright. Then, Sakura turned to face Naruto with a smile. "Welcome home."

"Yeah, I'm home," said Naruto as she pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her.

"So, who's the girl?" questioned Tsunade. Jiraiya smirked.

"_That_, my dear Tsunade-hime, is Haruno Sakura. She's Naruto's teammate and girlfriend, and has recently made it her goal in life to surpass you."

"Oh? That's a tall order…"

"_Well_, not to put _too_ fine a point on it, but she's not even half a year out of the academy, participated in the main matches of the last Chūnin Exam where she beat a taijutsu specialist with a year of experience on her, and her training grounds are often littered with craters from her poking them."

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened.

"Wait, you mean she's developed my chakra-enhanced strength?" questioned Tsunade.

"Yep; she managed to piece together the core principles and apply them completely on her own. She broke two legs with a finger flick during the Exams. She hasn't perfected it to be even _close_ to your level, but she's got the potential to surpass even you."

Tsunade stared at the rosette now talking to Naruto. The two were joined a moment later by a boy wearing sunglasses and a heavy coat, and… "Is that Kakashi?"

"Yup, he's Naruto's sensei," said Jiraiya. "The boy is his remaining teammate, Aburame Shino. Oh, and also, even though they're only a few months out of the academy, they've already _mastered_ nature transformation for their chakra nature affinities."

As Tsunade and Shizune gaped, Naruto smiled at his teammates.

"So, I didn't really learn much," he said, "but I did get to come to terms with my parents."

"That's good," said Sakura, smiling at him. "So, who were they?"

"My mom was Uzumaki Kushina; turns out she was the host of the Kyūbi before I was," said Naruto. "My dad was Namikaze Minato."

"Wait, you're father was the _Yondaime_?!" said Sakura. "As in the same Yondaime that put that stupid fox in you?!"

"Yeah… long story there…" said Naruto. Then, another thought hit Sakura.

"Wait, that means that your dad taught Kakashi-sensei! And that Jiraiya taught your father too!" She glared down at the perverted hermit, who cringed fearfully even though he had no idea what they were talking about.

"What did you manage to learn in the time you were away?" asked Shino before Sakura could continue. Naruto smirked as Sakura's attention returned to him, and raised his right hand.

Within a few seconds, a compressed sphere of swirling blue chakra had formed in Naruto's hands. Kakashi stared at it with shock.

"That's Minato-sensei's **Rasengan**!" he said. "Jiraiya-sama taught you that in three weeks?"

"Eh, a week and a half, no shadow clones," said Naruto sheepishly as he released the jutsu.

"A week and a half? Are you _serious_?"

"Yeah, well… nē-san kind of taught me the core principles beforehand…"

That brought Kakashi up short.

"Ah, yes… we need to talk about that…"

"Oh? Kakashi-sensei, did Naruto tell you who his nē-san is?" asked Sakura.

"Not exactly, but it's something I need to talk to him about," said Kakashi. "Anyways, we should get Tsunade-sama to the Hokage Tower."

* * *

An hour later, after Tsunade had met with Koharu, Homura and Danzō (and barely restrained herself from slipping on her awareness of their involvement in the Uchiha Massacre), Naruto was pulled aside by Homura.

"Uzumaki-san, I have a letter here for you," he said, to Naruto's surprise. The others were all listening in, particularly Koharu, who hadn't been aware of this.

"A letter? From who?" questioned Naruto.

"It was from Hokage-sama, to be delivered to you in the event of his death after learning of your… heritage."

Naruto looked away for a moment before turning back to Homura and nodding, accepting the letter.

"Thank you, Homura-sama."

Homura gave a slight nod as Naruto pocketed the letter. Danzō eyed Naruto, noting every way that Naruto's cloak was like the ones worn by Itachi and Mai.

"There is another matter that should be attended to," said Danzō suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "The final phase of the Chūnin Exam was interrupted by Orochimaru's invasion. However, there were several individuals who displayed at least some of the qualities necessary for promotion. After speaking to the exam proctors, I believe I have a solution to the matter, pending Tsunade-sama's approval as the new Hokage."

"Oh?" Tsunade eyed Danzō critically. She'd never trusted him, even before he started Root and she learned that his politics had led to the Uchiha Clan planning a coup, so it was fair to say that she _really_ didn't trust him now. But, politics (and the way she wanted to stab him in the back) meant she had to play ignorant and not openly challenge him. "Let's hear your idea then."

Danzō nodded slightly.

"One duty expected of chūnin is to lead," said Danzō, "therefore a test of leadership would seem to be ideal. My proposal is that the selected chūnin hopefuls be assigned to lead a four-man cell on a C-rank mission, and then assess them after receiving reports from every member of the cell. Because of our current situation, these teams would need to consist solely of genin, but…"

"That does sound like a good idea," said Jiraiya, though it clearly left a bad taste in his mouth—he didn't like agreeing with Danzō on anything, even when the war hawk was right and agreeing was for the best. Much like Tsunade, he had to check himself so as not to attack Danzō in any way.

"Hmm, who are the chūnin hopefuls anyways?" asked Tsunade.

"Nara Shikamaru and all three members of the Seventh Graduate Squad," said Danzō with a slight nod to Team Kakashi, taking them by surprise.

"Alright, I'll see about getting to work on that after we've got some other stuff organized," said Tsunade.

* * *

Not half an hour later, the three rookie teams were gathered at Chōji's favorite barbecue restaurant, though at least one of them had brushed rather close to death, as Ino had enthusiastically greeted Naruto by wrapping him in a hug… with Hinata opposite of him, squeezing the two together. Sakura had barely refrained from a show of strength as a way of telling Ino to back off, but it was not, to her own surprise, out of any sense of jealousy (despite knowing Naruto harbored some feelings for Ino).

No, Sakura's irritation had stemmed from the look of discomfort on Naruto's face, probably because of the fangirl horde from earlier.

After getting that little incident out of the way and making sure Hinata wouldn't pass out, everyone had sat down at a large table and quickly placed their orders.

"I still can't believe you managed to get Tsunade-sama to become the Hokage," said Ino excitedly. Naruto chuckled.

"Oh, it wasn't especially hard," he said. "Really, all it took was winning a bet; the _real_ hard part had been what was going on at the end."

"What was going on at the end?" asked Asuma.

"Um… yeah, Tsunade-sama decided it was a good time to kill Orochimaru," said Naruto, immediately gaining everyone's full attention.

"So that bastard is dead?" asked Sasuke, sounding like he was torn between being eager and being disappointed—probably because he wanted to put Orochimaru down personally.

"Unfortunately no," said Naruto, shaking his head. "The damn snake slipped away at the last moment, along with that traitor Kabuto."

"That Kabuto guy was there too?" questioned Kiba.

"Seems like he's Orochimaru's lieutenant," said Naruto. He shook his head, smiling faintly. "Well, they may have gotten away, but they were definitely running with tails between their legs—Orochimaru was crippled, and I landed a **Rasengan** on Kabuto that took him out of the fight before I wound up unconscious myself. Shizune-san told me that they wound up bringing out the Snake Boss, so Ero-sennin summoned the Toad Boss and Tsunade-sama summoned the Slug Boss. By the time it was over, the damn snake should've been dead a dozen times over from Tsunade-sama's attacks on him. She said the last one should've liquefied his brains, and she's not really sure _how_ he managed to survive it."

"You fell unconscious?" asked Sakura, not at all distracted by the rest of the story. She heard him say that and the rest suddenly barely registered. Naruto had the decency to look sheepish.

"When I hit Kabuto with the **Rasengan**, he managed to get in an attack of his own," said Naruto. "According to Shizune-san, he was trying to sever my heart, but I have massive regenerative abilities and two of the world's best medics were standing right there, so mostly it just wound up hurting like I'd been struck by a boulder."

Almost everyone inched away from Sakura. Judging from the expression on her face, Kabuto would be begging for death if she ever caught up to him.

"Anyways, what is that technique you keep talking about?" asked Sasuke quickly to divert the conversation away from what happened to Naruto. "The **Rasengan**, right? I think I've heard of it…"

"It was one of the most famous ninjutsu of the Kiiroi Senkō," said Kakashi, catching most of the rookies by surprise. "It was right up there with the **Hiraishin**, and he would even use them together for some of his most devastating assaults. It's an extremely powerful and difficult to learn technique that requires the highest levels of chakra shape transformation. Even I was surprised when Naruto told me he'd mastered it."

"Not bad," muttered Shikamaru before letting out a sigh. "But that's troublesome for me, because now I have to deal with this guy trying to keep up." He lazily pointed a finger at Sasuke as he said this, prompting a scowl from the Uchiha survivor.

"You haven't had to deal with me while I've been working on learning the **Chidori**," said Sasuke darkly. Naruto perked up slightly at that.

"The **Chidori**? Kakashi-sensei, isn't that your technique?"

"Yes," said Kakashi. "I actually developed it because I was unable to master the **Rasengan** myself at the time; it's a powerful technique, but has a number of drawbacks that the **Rasengan** doesn't, one of which is that it requires a lot of speed, so using it can result in suffering a tunnel vision effect that makes it very dangerous to use without the Sharingan to overcome it."

"What about the Byakugan?" asked Sasuke with a brief glance at Hinata. "Shouldn't it be able to overcome that limitation as well?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"No, I thought about that," he said. "When I got the Sharingan and was suddenly able to use the **Chidori** without nearly getting killed, I wondered if the Byakugan could overcome the weaknesses as well. It gets around the literal tunnel vision, but you're still moving so fast that it's hard to perceive enemy movements properly without the Sharingan."

After that, the subject of techniques was dropped, and the group drifted back to more pleasant conversation.

* * *

"Naruto-san!"

Team Kakashi had just left the restaurant when that call came to their ears, drawing their attention to Konohamaru's friends, Moegi and Udon, running down the street towards them.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" asked Naruto.

"It's… it's Konohamaru-kun," panted Moegi. "He heard about Tsunade-sama becoming the new Hokage and got angry, so he locked himself in the Hokage's study and barricaded the door!"

"What? What the hell possessed him to do something stupid like that?!" demanded Naruto.

"We don't know," said Udon, straightening up. "But please, you have to come! Konohamaru-kun really looks up to you, so I'm sure you can convince him to stop before Tsunade-sama becomes annoyed enough to force the issue!"

Naruto had gotten to know Tsunade fairly well over the last couple of weeks. He suspected it may already be too late.

"Oi… alright, I'll talk to him," said Naruto, glancing at the Hokage Tower before making a chakra-enhanced leap to the rooftops. Sakura huffed slightly.

"That little brat is gonna get an earful," she muttered before leaping off after Naruto.

* * *

When Naruto arrived, it was to find that Tsunade was indeed just about ready to force the issue, which he guessed meant she'd probably gotten there only a minute before he had.

"Ah, could you guys please wait before busting the door open with ninjutsu?" asked Naruto politely and with a hint of nervousness—he _was_ dealing with Tsunade right now. The two chūnin with her and Shizune—he could never remember those guys' names—glanced at each other before looking to Tsunade.

"There are important books and files in that room," said Tsunade. "You can't expect me to just let this go."

"Well, I'd like the chance to talk him down first…"

"Uzumaki-san, he doesn't seem willing to listen," said the chūnin with bandages across his nose.

"His friends seemed to think I could talk him down," said Naruto just as Sakura arrived. "Besides, you're gambling a few extra minutes against potential property damage, and while I know that your luck at gambling is atrocious, Tsunade-sama, mine is an entirely different story."

As he said that, Naruto thought back to the time he played cards against himself using shadow clones while out of the village; the lowest hand between five clones had been four of a kind.

"Alright, fine," said Tsunade with a slight shrug. "I'll be back in an hour." With that said, she started to wander off, Shizune following quickly after her. The two chūnin stepped aside as Naruto walked up to the door.

"Konohamaru, can you hear me? It's Naruto."

No answer came from the other side of the door. Naruto sighed in irritation.

"Konohamaru, I can guess at why you're doing this," said Naruto. "Now, you're probably gonna hate me for what I'm about to say, but I'm going to be blunt since I hear I'm very bad at being polite."

Sakura and the chūnins snorted at that, since Naruto was pretty much _always_ polite since returning to become a genin.

"I'm guessing that you're angry," said Naruto. "You're angry at your grandfather for dying, at Tsunade-sama for coming to replace him, at the aides helping her to do so. I can understand being frustrated by that, but what you're doing is stupid. Your grandfather would be ashamed of you."

The sound of shuffling reached their ears—oh yeah, that had definitely gotten a reaction.

"Your grandfather was the Hokage for a long time, but he was not the only 'real' Hokage, because that doesn't exist—the Hokage is a title given to the people we entrust to lead this village. Your grandfather isn't here to do that anymore, so someone else has to do so. This room didn't belong to your grandfather, it belonged to the Hokage, and it still does."

"Shut up!" shouted Konohamaru. "You're wrong! This is ojiisan's room and I'm gonna keep on protecting it!"

"Is that right? Do you know who your grandfather gave this room to along with the title of Hokage and who used it before your grandfather came out of retirement? Namikaze Minato; he died saving the village. Before it was your grandfather's, this study was Senju Tobirama's, and before it was his study, it was Senju Hashirama's. All of them used this study, but when they were no longer Hokage it was given to someone else to use, the new person to hold the title of Hokage."

"I won't let people forget ojiisan!"

Moegi and Udon arrived just in time to hear that part.

"I see. So, you're saying you've actually forgotten about the other Hokage… or rather, never actually knew about them since everyone else had forgotten about them."

Naruto could practically _hear_ Konohamaru stiffening.

"What you're saying is that the names of Senju Hashirama, who founded this village, Senju Tobirama, who gave his life for his comrades in the First War, and Namikaze Minato, who gave his life to seal away the Kyūbi mean nothing to you. After all, they were all Hokage like your grandfather, but they're all dead. Since people are going to forget about your grandfather because he died and they no longer want to treat everything related to the Hokage as his exclusively, they've obviously all forgotten about everyone else who was ever Hokage."

Konohamaru didn't respond, so Naruto continued after only a moment's pause.

"Do you really think so little of the people of this village that you've convinced yourself they'll forget your grandfather just like that?" questioned Naruto. "If that's the case, you're a stain on your own clan, and never really understood a thing about your grandfather! So listen, and listen well you _ignorant little brat_! To be Hokage is more than just being the leader or most powerful person in the village, it's about being family to _everyone_ in the village! The people of this village can no more forget _any_ of the Hokage than _you_ can forget your grandfather! Just because a new Hokage is taking up that position doesn't mean anyone has forgotten your grandfather and it doesn't mean that we don't all miss him terribly ourselves, but we have to move on, because if we don't, then your grandfather died for _nothing_! So I'm only going to say this _once_: you need to grow up Konohamaru, understand that you're being an idiot and move on; it's a choice between shaming your grandfather and making him proud. So what is it going to be?"

Everyone was staring at Naruto in open-mouthed shock, even Sakura. After a few minutes, the sound of movement on the other side reached their ears.

"Okay…" said Konohamaru, followed by another moment of silence. "Um… I'm not sure how to take all of this down."

Naruto blinked before smacking a hand into his hitai-ate.

"Oi," he muttered, verbally expressing how everyone around him was feeling. He stepped back a little, eyes closed. Sakura and the two chūnin shifted when they suddenly felt a faint spike of malevolent chakra. "Stand back kid, this is probably going to be a little noisy and violent."

Naruto waited a minute, gathering the Kyūbi chakra he'd called up in his hands before stepping forward, a clone flickering into existence and drawing Eldhi-Arc, raising it over Naruto's head and expanding it to act as a shield against the overhead traps.

A bunch of pans came falling down, clanging off Eldhi-Arc as Naruto began to push the doors open, surprised by just how much effort it took even with his Kyūbi-enhanced strength. He forced the doors all the way open and a mass of junk suddenly fell down from the ceiling. Naruto punched it, sending it all flying away, and began to release tendrils of Kyūbi chakra to cut up the wires and seals located about the room. Konohamaru was standing on the far side, gaping in disbelief, and Naruto noticed that he'd apparently just disarmed a kunai trap.

"Well, that was mildly bothersome," muttered Naruto, walking towards Konohamaru.

"Look out!" called Konohamaru suddenly, just as Naruto sensed the danger. Before Konohamaru had finished his two word sentence, Naruto had already gathered all the Kyūbi chakra and formed a claw large enough to catch and crush the boulder that had fallen from above him.

"I assume you're at least top of the class when it comes to trap building," said Naruto lightly. Konohamaru was staring at him in open-mouthed shock, so he failed to notice as Sakura came in until she'd bopped him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded. Sakura huffed.

"That was for forcing Naruto to come here and bail your sorry little ass out of trouble with Tsunade-sama," said Sakura. "We were having a good time before you interrupted it."

"But I didn't tell anyone to go get you!"

"No, but it's your fault anyway," said Sakura. "Come on Naruto, let's go. Maybe we can make a date of our remaining free time today."

Pretty much everyone just stared at the two genin in surprise as they left. However, Naruto paused long enough to throw some parting words.

"By the way, the five of you can clean up the mess or explain it to Tsunade-sama!"

* * *

That night, after an unfortunately rather short and fortunately uneventful date, Naruto sat at the dining table in his apartment with Sakura sitting across from him, sipping at some tea he'd made for them, but otherwise silent as they stared at the letter Homura had handed to him earlier.

Naruto knew he would have to read the letter eventually, but he wasn't sure he was ready for it. What was it that Hiruzen had written for him in anticipation of his death? Was the wound in his heart too fresh to be ready?

"Naruto… whatever you need, I'm here for you, okay?" said Sakura suddenly. Looking up at her, Naruto smiled before finally reaching down to the letter and opening it.

_Naruto…_

_If you're reading this, then it means I did not live to see you learn of your heritage. To see you inherit your legacy. Or a great many other things. I have a family by blood and a family by my bond to the village, but you are a family as close as those by blood, and sometimes even closer._

_I missed you during those years you were away, but I am glad to see how they have made you stronger. You are a fine shinobi Naruto, and one day, you will be a great Hokage. But that day isn't here yet; still, I have something to help you prepare for it._

_Enclosed are instructions for you. Your parents have left a legacy for you powerful enough to topple nations. Even I do not know the extent of what they left for you, but I know it will allow you to show the world who you are._

_Tell the world that the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina has stepped forward. Show the world that you have inherited your parents' will. Become a Kage like none the world has ever seen._

_I am proud of you Naruto, my grandson in every way that matters, and I know you will pull through._

_~Sarutobi Hiruzen._

Somehow, Naruto managed to hold back his tears, but he couldn't hold back his smile. Sakura smiled herself on seeing that, figuring it was good news. Naruto lifted a small piece of paper that had been with the letter, reading it slowly before shaking his head.

"You should go home," he said softly. He smiled at her. "Be up bright and early; I'd like all of you to be there with me."

"Be where with you?" asked Sakura.

"The legacy…"

Sakura didn't know what to make of that, standing up and walking over to him.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay here tonight? I'll send a clone to let mom know what's going on…"

Naruto looked at her, a little surprised. Then, he smiled faintly.

"Of course."

Smiling, Sakura gave him a warm, loving hug.

* * *

It was time.

To say this moment was one he'd been waiting for would be an understatement. Kakashi had been looking forward to seeing his sensei's legacy inherited practically since the day Naruto was born.

Naruto had gathered his entire team, as well as his godfather. They stood in the forest on top of the Hokage Monument, one that was host to a powerful genjutsu that made it easy to get lost if you didn't know exactly where you were going, and it was one so strong that even the Sharingan could not pierce it.

Before them was a small house, covered in seals. The wood doors bore a unique seal the likes of which Kakashi had never seen before.

"This must've been Kushina's work," said Jiraiya, eyeing the seal. "I've hardly ever seen such an impressive piece of work; it uses a powerful blood seal that requires the blood of two specific individuals to activate… or the blood of a child of those individuals. Easy way to be able to keep access to it, but make it impossible for anyone but your child to access it."

"That's incredible," murmured Sakura. Taking a deep breath, Naruto walked forward, biting his thumb and smearing blood on the seal. It glowed a bright, vibrant red before fading back to normal. The doors slid apart, revealing the inside of the house.

The building before them was a simple affair. Naruto stepped inside, and seals around the room began to glow, revealing a bed, albums, two shelves filled with books, and on a small table, Minato's signature tri-pronged kunai next to several scrolls. The rest followed behind Naruto, Jiraiya wandering over to the two shelves and pulling out a book and flipping through it. The Gama-Sennin let out a low whistle, drawing their attention.

"Unbelievable… this was one of Kushina's books on sealing," said Jiraiya, looking back to the shelves. "All of these are sealing books."

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief.

"The Uzumaki Clan was renowned for unparalleled skill with fūinjutsu," commented Kakashi, looking at the shelves before turning to the table that held his sensei's kunai. Naruto was focused on the albums, cracking one open and smiling softly. After a moment of consideration, Kakashi walked over to the table and lifted one of the scrolls. It had a seal much like the one on the door, though on a small scale of course.

"Naruto," said Shino, drawing everyone's attention. He was standing next to a shelf with a pile of papers on it. "You may wish to see this."

Curious, the blond walked over, looking at the papers, and seeing one line written on it that nearly froze him in shock.

_Today, I promised him my future._

Slowly picking up the pile, Naruto started reading, and quickly realized the papers were some kind of makeshift journal, detailing his mother's life from the moment she arrived in Konoha up to the night she died.

Somewhat numb, Naruto sat down on the bed to start reading, even though he knew he'd have to leave soon for his chūnin test mission assignment.

* * *

When it came time for them to leave, Naruto had decided to take his father's scrolls and kunai with him, as well as the papers for his mother's makeshift journal, asking Jiraiya to get them bound into a book, trusting that his godfather wouldn't shift through them beyond checking the dates.

When team seven arrived in the Hokage's office, they found teams eight and ten, plus Team Gai already there. Tenten seemed to be barely resisting the urge to bounce off the walls in excitement.

"You're late," said Tsunade, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Sorry, Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi lightly. "There were some… important matters that Naruto needed to attend to, and the rest of us stayed with him." Tsunade nodded slightly before focusing her attention on the group.

"I've heard good things about the twelve of you," she began, "which is why I've brought you all here today. Four of you are to be tested in leadership abilities as a final test to see if you're ready for promotion to chūnin. The rest of you will be assigned to them as the team they are to work with."

Tsunade looked them over, observing as pretty much all eyes focused on team seven. It was a bit surprising that they'd be the first ones everyone here thought of when she mentioned promotions.

"Naruto," said Tsunade, drawing his attention. "You're up first; your mission is to scout the border between Hi no Kuni and Kusa no Kuni. The mission should be C-rank, but there's a possibility it will move up to B-rank. If it looks to move above that, you are to return immediately with all members of your team."

"Yes ma'am."

Tsunade nodded.

"During the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru infiltrated the village disguised as a Kusa nin; we don't think there's any significance to this, but we'd like to be sure, and as news of my return has not spread, most countries believe we still lack a Hokage, and therefore, this is still an ideal time to strike. Now, from the genin outside of your team, pick three to accompany you."

That was part of the test he realized—knowing who to bring along on a mission like this. Naruto quickly considered what he knew of the other genin before his thoughts settled on Sasuke.

_We need to talk away from prying eyes and ears_, thought Naruto. _Besides, he's a perfectly capable shinobi, so having him on hand would be useful, especially since…_

"I'd like Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino and Hyūga Hinata," said Naruto. Quite a few of the genin turned to look at him in surprise, but the jōnin all seemed to be silently agreeing.

"Your reasoning?" asked Tsunade.

"The abilities of the Yamanaka Clan are extremely useful for scouting purposes in addition to infiltration and interrogation," said Naruto. "In addition, many Yamanaka inherently develop abilities as a sensor. For Hinata-san, her eyes are not as good for combat as Neji-san's, but I have heard praise for the considerable range she can see out too, and she is still a very capable combatant in the event things become dangerous. Finally, Sasuke-san brings an element of versatility to the team that is necessary when facing unknown situations." Tsunade nodded in approval.

"Then your choices are approved," she said, handing Naruto the scroll. "Good luck."

Naruto nodded, turning to his chosen team. There were odd looks in all their eyes, but Naruto mostly dismissed them as he checked the scroll for details.

"Alright, we'll meet at the main gates at eight o' clock sharp tomorrow morning," said Naruto.

"Understood."

"Alright, now, Sakura, for your mission, I want you to patrol our border with Oto no Kuni…"

* * *

In light of the more potentially combative mission she'd been assigned, Sakura had wound up choosing Lee, Neji and Kiba, the first two for their impressive combat ability, the latter two for their ability to detect oncoming danger, and all of them capable combatants. Tsunade had dismissed them afterwards, apparently planning to task Shino and Shikamaru with the same tests once Naruto and Sakura had completed their missions.

That had been hours ago—they'd headed for their training grounds afterwards in order to hang out, relax and get in a bit of training together before parting ways ago. It was evening now, and they were eating at Ichiraku Ramen before heading home.

"You just got back and already we're being separated again," said Sakura softly.

"This is often the hardest part of being a ninja," said Kakashi. He'd somehow managed to finish his entire bowl of ramen in the three-second span that no one was looking at him. "We all face it sooner or later, but it's also not uncommon for especially good teams to be kept together well into the time that all of them are jōnin. Show those qualities, and you won't have to deal with this sort of thing all that often."

"Will we actually be allowed to stick together if we all make chūnin?" asked Sakura.

"It would make sense," said Naruto, glancing at Kakashi. "It's known that we do work well together."

"True, although some work may need to be done on keeping everyone on equal footing," said Kakashi lightly.

"That is something to consider," said Shino. "Naruto has inherited a powerful legacy; Sakura and I must do what we can to keep up."

"Hmmm."

It wouldn't be as much trouble for Sakura as it seemed—Kakashi had already been approached by Tsunade about her. Jiraiya, it seemed, had started regaling her with tales of Sakura's abilities since sometime yesterday, and had successfully gotten Tsunade interested.

Therefore, it was finding a way to let Shino keep up that was the problem. But, Kakashi figured he'd worry about it at some later point—for the time being, they were still his students, and he wouldn't hand their education over to anyone else, not even to two of the Densetsu no Sannin.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Like I said, not much goes on other than the setup for the next story arc and Naruto recieving his inheritance (it should be obvious that was coming from the chapter title). The only other thing of significance was Naruto's talk with Konohamaru, who he hasn't really interacted with much in this story so far.**

**So, yeah, I was kind of looking to change that. The lack of interaction is why he and his friends don't call Naruto "big brother", which is something I definitely want them to call him at some point. Naruto's big brother mentor relationship with them was something I enjoyed the few times it did come up.  
**

**Most of the characters get the short end of the stick, which sort of brings me to a major problem I have, and that is: I am _not_ a very good romance author.  
**

**Ah well; Naruto picking Ino for his team will finally give me the chance to have some interaction between them, as well as show off some more interaction between Naruto and Sasuke.  
**

**Now, back to standard procedure: PLEASE REVIEW! Maileesaeya begs for them!  
**

* * *

**Jutsu Translation:  
**Rasengan – Spiraling Sphere  
Chidori – Thousand Birds  
Hiraishin no Jutsu – Flying Thunder God Technique


End file.
